Stimulation of Ethanol Metabolism Induced by Proline and Lysine Ingestion in Prolonged Ethanol-Administered Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

The influence of proline and lysine solution ingestion on ethanol metabolism after chronic oral ethanol administration was investigated in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Compared with rats that were not administered ethanol (control group), the prolonged ethanol-administered rats (EtOH group) showed little change in their blood ethanol levels, but a remarkable increase and slow appearance in the blood acetaldehyde levels after the oral administration of ethanol. When prolonged ethanol-administered rats ingested the proline solution (EtOH/Pro group), higher levels of blood ethanol continued. However, the increase in blood acetaldehyde levels was not observed in the EtOH/Pro group. In the case of prolonged ethanol-administered rats that ingested the lysine-containing solution (EtOH/Lys group), blood ethanol levels decreased and disappeared 4 h after the oral administration. An effect of lowered blood acetaldehyde levels was also observed. When prolonged ethanol-administered rats ingested both proline and lysine (EtOH/Pro+Lys group), the effect on blood ethanol levels was similar to that of rats that had ingested lysine only, and the influence on blood acetaldehyde was like that of rats that had only ingested proline. These results suggest that proline and lysine can regulate ethanol metabolism and the influence of proline on ethanol metabolism is different from that of lysine.