The effects of either moderate alcoholic beverage use or of alcohol abuse in post-menopausal women (PMPpsi) have received scant attention. Because ETOH has been shown in males to increase peripheral conversion of androgens to estrogens as well as to act as an adrenal stimulant, it is possible that alcohol use by PMPpsi may affect serum levels of androgens and estrogens. Variables which influence estrogen levels in PMPpsi are important as the risk of such diseases as osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and cancers of the breast and uterus are reported to be related to estrogenization. Estrogen levels in PMPpsi reflect peripheral steroid conversion, adrenal and ovarian stromal steroid production. To systematically examine ETOH effects on postmenopausal adrenal steroid production and peripheral conversion, 4 major rat experiments are proposed: 30 triplets of oophorectomized rats will be isocalorically fed a liquid diet in which ETOH comprises 0, 12% or 36% of dietary calories. Experiment 1 will examine the effects of chronic (4 months) high and low dose ETOH exposure on serum levels of androgens and estrogens, while experiment 2, using the identical feeding protocol, will utilize dexamethasone to suppress adrenal function during the week prior to sacrifice. Data from these 2 experiments will permit evaluation of chronic high and low dose ETOH exposure on the combined steroid sources of adrenal production and peripheral conversion, on the isolated peripheral conversion component, and, by subtraction, on adrenal production alone. The second 2 experiments will exactly mimic the first 2 except that the diet will be administered to reflect the non-daily drinking pattern of many PMPpsi: a feeding regimen of alternating 2 days of high or low dose ETOH diet with 4 days of control diet for 4 months with isocaloric matching maintained throughout. These rat studies will provide data of statistically adequate sample size with which to test hypotheses concerning effects of different ETOH administration regimens of 2 doses of ETOH on the 2 major components of steroid production in a rat model of PMPpsi. It is also proposed to examine plasma levels of estrogens and androgens in healthy PMPpsi and to compare such levels in natural menopause PMPpsi to those in oophorectomized PMPpsi in relation to their alcoholic beverage consumption levels. Further, the findings in the oophorectomized PMPpsi will be examined in relation to the effects seen in the rat model using oophorectomized rats.
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