Abstract

At varying times after an acute administration (3 g/kg) and after a 7-day chronic administration (3 g/kg/day) of ethanol, the renal handling of divalent electrolytes was investigated using conventional clearance techniques. In comparison to water-treated control dogs, the plasma magnesium concentration was increased in acutely ethanoltreated animals at 2 and 10 hours, the calcium plasma concentration was decreased at 2,10 and 18 hours, and zinc concentrations were unchanged. The plasma concentrations of these electrolytes were not affected by chronic treatment. The rates of filtration and reabsorption for these electrolytes were increased at 10 and 18 hours after the acute administrations and after the chronic administration. In the acute studies, magnesium excretion was increased at 10 hours, zinc excretion was increased at 2 and 10 hours, and calcium excretion was unchanged. The chronic ethanol administration, however, produced a singular increase in the zinc excretory rate. The results demonstrate that ethanol administration can indeed alter the renal handling of these three divalent cations and suggest that ethanol has an independent action on each electrolyte.