Controversial studies from others suggested that alcohol intake could be associated with some deleterious effects in the uterus. Not all the effects of alcohol drinking on female reproductive organs can be explained in terms of endocrine disturbances. Deleterious effect of alcohol or its metabolites in situ could also play a role. Accordingly, we found a metabolism of alcohol to acetaldehyde in the rat uterine horn tissue cytosolic fraction mediated by xanthine oxidoreductase, requiring a purine cosubstrate and inhibited by allopurinol. This activity was detected by histochemistry in the epithelium and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity was detected in the muscular layer and in the serosa. There was a microsomal process, not requiring NADPH and of enzymatic nature, oxygen-dependent and inhibited by diethyldithiocarbamate, diphenyleneiodonium and partially sensitive to esculetin and nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The presence of metabolic pathways in the uterine horn able to generate acetaldehyde, accompanied by a low capacity to destroy it through aldehyde dehydrogenase, led to acetaldehyde accumulation in the uterus during ethanol exposure. Results suggest that any acetaldehyde produced in situ or arriving to the uterine horn via blood would remain in this organ sufficiently to have the opportunity to react with critical molecules to cause deleterious effects.

After alcohol exposure through a standard Lieber and De Carli diet for 28 days, a severe atrophy in the rat uteirne horn was observed, accompanied by significant alterations in its epithelial cells. Microsomal pathway of acetaldehyde production was slightly increased. Hydroxyl radicals were detected in the cytosolic fraction, and this was attributed to participation of xanthine oxidoreductase. They were also observed in the microsomal fraction in the presence of NADPH generating system. No generation of 1-hydroxyethyl was evidenced. The t-butylhydroperoxide-induced chemiluminescence analysis of uterine horn homogenates revealed a significant increase in the chemiluminiscence emission due to ethanol exposure. In the animals repeatedly exposed to alcohol, sulfhydryl content from uterine horn proteins was decreased, but no significant changes were observed in the protein carbonyl content from the same samples. Minor but significant decreasing changes were observed in the GSH content accompanied by a tendency to decrease in the GSH/GSSG ratio. A highly significant finding was the diminished activity content of glutathione peroxidase. Results suggest that acetaldehyde accumulation plus the oxidative stress may play an additional effect to the alcohol-promoted hormonal changes in the uterus reported by others after chronic exposure to alcohol.

No abstract

El siguiente artículo surge en base a las experiencias transitadas durante el desarrollo de un proyecto de extensión impulsado desde la Universidad Nacional de Villa María (UNVM), en el que se abordan problemáticas socio-económicas, socio-ambientales y salud integral desde una perspectiva de género y mirada interdisciplinar. Con el objetivo de promover la articulación y vinculación entre la universidad y el medio social, el proyecto permite contribuir a la promoción del desarrollo local y mejorar la calidad de vida de la comunidad. Esta vinculación con el contexto facilita así cumplir con el compromiso social de las universidades en la instancia de extensión universitaria. En Argentina proliferan vertederos, que en algunos casos presentan heterogeneidad en sus funcionamientos, sumados a condiciones laborales precarias de las personas que allí trabajan. En el caso particular de la ciudad de Villa María, Córdoba, emerge una cooperativa de trabajo vinculada con la diferenciación de residuos, compuesta en su mayoría por mujeres provenientes de clases populares. El trabajo realizado por estas mujeres es central para el cuidado del ambiente, sus tareas y aportes en las cadenas de producción y generación de conocimientos se están visibilizando recientemente, sumado a que algunas actividades laborales y en materia de salud aún se encuentran en desarrollo. Urge entonces, la generación de acciones que promuevan una transformación estructural de la organización económica, social, moral y política del trabajo.