850 ADVENTURES IN RADIOISOTOPE RESEARCH 



from fasting rats amounted to 35—93% only. Bartlett and Barnet 

 (1949, 1953) observed a recovery of 75% from fed rat in the course of 

 5 hr (cf. also Dontcheff (1950) and Burbridge and Hine (1951)). 

 Fasting was also found to decrease the ability of liver slices to oxidize 

 ethanol (Vitale et al., 1953). Ethanol was found most rapidly oxidized 

 in such experiments, when its concentration in the surrounding medium 

 was 25 mgm% (Masoro et al., 1953). 



Summary 



The rate of oxidation of ethylalcohol by control mice and such exposed to a 

 dose of 1500 r of roentgen rays was compared by administering with alcohol- 1-^*C 

 labelled ethanol and coUecting the ^^COg exhaled. No significant difference was 

 found in the amount of ^^COg exhaled by the controls and the irradiated animals. 



References 



G. R. Bartlett and H. N. Barnet (1949), Quart. J. Studies Ale. 10, 381. 



T. N. BxjRBRiDGE and C. H. Hine (1951), J. Pharmacol. Exp. Therap. 103, 338. 



W. M. Dale (1942), Biochem. J. 36, 80. 



L. Dontcheff (1950, C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris 231, 177. 



G. Hevesy (1953), Acta Physiol. Scand. 30, 90. 



E. J. Masoro, H. Abramowitch and J. R. Birchard (1953), Amer.J. Physiol. 



173, 37. 

 J. J. Vitale, J. Di Giorgio, H. McGrate, J. Nay and H. D. Hegsted (1953), 



J. Biol. Chem. 204, 257. 



Comment on papers 83—87 



When mice were injected with i*C labelled glucose and the exhaled CO2 + and 

 ^^COg collected, the exposed animals were found to exhale less COj and^^COg than 

 the controls (paper 83). The effect of Roentgen rays and hormones on the re- 

 sorption rate of injected NaH^COg was studied with Forssberg as well (papers 84, 

 85). The mean life-time of the bulk of the circulating bicarbonate ions in the 

 body of the mouse being some minutes only, any change in the rate of resorp- 

 tion will be reflected in a corresponding change of the ^^COg exhaled within a 

 few minutes or even seconds after injection. Irradiation was found to depress 

 the resorption rate, the exhalation of ^^C being reduced. ACTH treatment be- 

 fore irradation annihilates the effect of the latter. Administration of adrenalin 

 decreased the output of ^^COg. 



Neither the rate of catabolism of methyl alcohol nor that of ethyl alcohol was 

 found to be influenced by exposure to irradiation (papeis 86, 87), demonstrating 

 the radiation resistance of the enzymes involved in the catabolic process. 



