The review presents the literature data on the metabolism of endogenous ethanol and acetaldehyde in the organism, as well as their biological value.

The investigation of the contents of free amino acids pool ssin blood plasma and skeletal muscles of rats at different types of alcohol administration has been performed. Interrupted alcohol intoxication was characterized by the diminishing of some amino acids in plasma and changes in their contents in muscles. The general patterns in the development of metabolic disturbances caused by ethanol intake have been shown.

The effect of the preliminary saturation of rats with selenomethionine (50 g/kg, intragastrically, daily, 10 days) prior to acute alcohol intoxication (5 g/kg, 20% ethanol solution, intragastrically, singly on the 11th day with the exposure for 2 hours) was investigated. The activities of glutathione peroxidases (gastrointestinal mucosa, blood plasma, erythrocytes, liver), the levels of oxidized and reduced glutathione, LPO intensity and blood corticosterone level were studied.

The data are presented on the effects of ethanol treatment (3.5 g/kg of a 25 % solution, singly, daily, intraperitoneally for 1, 4, 7, 10 days) on development of tolerance to ethanol as assessed by changes in ethanol-induced sleep, corticosterone level dynamics and free aminoacis content in rat blood plasma.

The effect of single and chronic ethanol (Eth) administration (25 % solution, 3.5 g/kg) on functional activity of the hypophyseal-adrenal system in rats with different sensitivity to the hypnotic action of ethanol (short-sleep - SS; non-sleep--NS, long-sleep--LS, intermediate group--IG), was studied. It has been shown that, after a single Eth administration, the concentration of corticosterone (K) in LS rat plasma was 1.5-fold higher than that in the NS animals although it did not differ from the K level in SS and Ig those. After repeated ethanol load, the corticosterone contents in the NS rat blood plasma was 3.5-fold and 4.9-fold lower compared to the control and LS groups, respectively. The data obtained indicate that the SS and LS animals had initially different basal blood plasma glucocorticoid level. The SS animals showed a decreased blood plasma K, whereas the LS ones--an increased one. The features of the glucocorticoid status are suggested to be a factor determining the sensitivity of rats to the ethanol hypnotic effect.

The antioxidant and radioprotector properties of gamma-linolenic acid isolated from the seeds of Borago officialis were studied on rats gamma-irradiated to a dose of 1 Gy. The irradiation caused an increase in the content of malonaldehyde in microsomal liver fraction and disturbed the metabolism of xenobiotics. The administration of gamma-linolenic acid in the form of a commercial drug Neoglandin (daily dose, 150 mg/kg, p.o.; over 1, 3, or 7 days after irradiation reduced the level of lipid peroxidation (for all treatment schedules), normalized the activity of NADPH-oxidase, NADH-oxidase, and NADPH-reductase, and increased the content of cytochromes P-450 and b5 as compared to bothirradiated and control animals.

The chronic heparin deficiency achieved by long-term treatment (for 3 weeks) with protamine-sulfate is accompanied by the development of stable hyperglycemia, decreased glucose tolerance, and the appearance of insulin resistance. Administration of exogenous heparin promotes the restoration of normoglycemia.

Corticosterone levels were studied using HPLC in the blood plasma and tissues of rats after 1, 4, 7 and 10 injections of ethanol (3.5 g/kg, daily). Main parameters of binding of corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) were calculated using Scatchard's plots. It is shown that development of tolerance to the hypnotic action of ethanol in rats is accompanied with: 1) increased levels of corticosterone in the adrenal tissue, 2) gain of the adrenals' weight, 3) inhibition of the stressogenic elevation of corticosterone plasma levels, 4) decline in the binding capacity of plasma CBG, 5) reduced concentration of dexamethasone-sensitive steroid receptors in the liver. Negative correlations between the duration of ethanol-induced sleep and concentration of corticosterone were found: for adrenal tissue after 7 and for plasma after 10 injections of ethanol (24 hours after the injection).

Administration of peony roots preparations provides the stable prophylactic effect against the development of experimental alloxan diabetes. This preparation and its complex with aspirin conserves the normal hemostatic system status and moderates the insular system disturbances. These preparations provide greater survival of animals.

Oral heparin given to rats was found to neutralize the hyperglycemic and hypoinsulinemic effects of diabetogenic factor and to produce a protective action by preventing the animals from the diabetogenic action of alloxan. The chronic oral heparin use alleviated the course of severe alloxan diabetes in rats, by contributing to the reduction of hyperglycemic levels, to the elevation of blood insulin concentrations, thus promoting their higher survival.

It was shown that in the case of regular intragastric introduction of heparin combined with aspirin to rats with insulin-dependent experimental diabetes, enzymatic and nonenzymatic fibrinolysis of blood plasma was enhanced. The blood level of sugar was normalized in these animals.