Effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde on cultured rabbit aortic myocytes and human platelets in vitro.

The recently reported finding that a moderate alcohol consumption may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease prompted a study of the effects of ethanol and acetaldehyde on proliferation, viability and collagen secretion of rabbit aortic myocytes in culture and on the spontaneous efflux reaction of human platelets in vitro. Ethanol had no effects on any of the systems and acetaldehyde did not influence platelets significantly. Fifty mumol 1(-1) acetaldehyde diminished the proliferation and collagen secretion of arterial myocytes by 20% (P less than 0.01) and 100 mumol 1(-1) acetaldehyde by 39% (P less than 0.001) without affecting cell mass or cell death. A metabolic degradation, and some evaporation, of acetaldehyde was taking place and 50 mumol 1(-1) acetaldehyde was halved after approximately 2 h. The more 'physiological' concentration of acetaldehyde (5 mumol 1(-1] influenced cell proliferation significantly (P less than 0.001) if the concentration was restored by 6-h intervals and the incubation time increased from 24 to 48 h. The weak aldehydedehydrogenase inhibitor chlorpropamide did not accentuate the effects of acetaldehyde.