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Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 388-392, 2001
© 2001 Medical Council on Alcohol

EFFECT OF ETHANOL EXPOSURE ON XENOPUS EMBRYO LIPID COMPOSITION

Clara Lindi,*, Gigliola Montorfano, Federica Rossi, Rosalba Gornati1 and Angela M. Rizzo

Institute of General Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Milan and
1 Department of Structural and Functional Biology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy

Received 30 November 2000; in revised form 22 March 2001; accepted 24 April 2001

— Exposure to ethanol is known to alter cell membranes both chemically and biophysically; these effects may be related to the development of tolerance and physical dependence. In the present study, the effects of various concentrations of ethanol (1–250 mM) on the lipid composition after the first 6 days of Xenopus embryo development were investigated, using an in vitro fertilization technique. Lipid analysis revealed: (1) a decrease of the cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio mainly derived from a higher content of phospholipids; (2) an increase of phospholipid unsaturated fatty acids, especially C20:4 and C20:5, with ethanol concentration of 150–250 mM; (3) a decrease of lipid-bound sialic acid with ethanol concentrations of >=5 mM. These results underline that sialoglycoconjugates are a more sensitive target of alcohol in comparison with other lipid components. The cultured embryo method certainly represents a useful model for investigation of the direct effects of ethanol on lipid metabolism, excluding maternal interference which can lead to misinterpretation of data.


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