Figure 8
Chronic ethanol significantly increased O 2 - and O 2 - -derived oxidant production. Male C57BL/6 mice were treated with water or ethanol (5 g/kg, i.g.) daily for 10 days and injected with dehydroethidium (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 23.5 hrs after the last dose of ethanol exposure. Brains were harvested 30 min later and frozen sections (15 μm) were examined for hydroethidine oxidation product, ethidium accumulation, by fluorescent microscopy. (A) Representative images of ethidium fluorescence in cortex and dentate gyrus. In the cortex and DG of control mouse brain, ethidium fluorescence was minimal (DG image not shown). Both cortex and DG of ethanol treated mice had significant increases in ethidium fluorescence. Scale bar = 200 μm. (B) Level of fluorescent intensity of ethidium positive cells was quantified by BioQuant image analysis software. Ethanol treatment of C57BL/6 mice showed significantly increased O2 - and O2 --derived oxidant production in either cortex or DG, compared with water control mice. ** P < 0.01, compared with water controls.