Abstract
Effects of acute ethanol administration on the axoplasmic flow in retinal ganglion cells of rats were studied by intraocular injection of 3H-1-leucine. Ethanol induced a facilitation of the fast axoplasmic flow without affecting the slow axoplasmic flow. Pretreatment with colchicine almost completely eliminated the fast flow in both control and ethanol-treated rats, while cycloheximide did not significantly affect the facilitation of the fast flow induced by ethanol. The extent of ethanol-induced changes in the fast flow did not directly correlate with the level of ethanol or acetaldehyde in the blood. Neither adrenalectomy nor hypophysectomy modified significantly the facilitation of the fast axoplasmic flow due to ethanol administration. Present results indicate that ethanol-induced facilitation of the fast axoplasmic flow is not due to the direct effect of ethanol or acetaldehyde or to changes in pituitaryadrenal function.
