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Some effects of ethanol on the gastrointestinal tract

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The American Journal of Digestive Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

1. Alcohol dehydrogenase can be demonstrated not only in rat liver but in the fore and hind stomach and small intestine as well. The specific activity of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase, in crude preparations, is greater than that of the liver enzyme. Alcohol dehydrogenase can be detected in rat and hamster fetal liver. Intestinal alcohol dehydrogenase has a higher specific activity in the first one-third of the gut than in lower regions; some properties of the intestinal enzyme are described.

2. A preliminary sampling of human stomach, jejunum, and colon revealed alcohol dehydrogenase in all these tissues.

3. No transintestinal accumulative transport was shown by ethanol when placed at the same concentration inside and outside of hamster everted intestinal sacs. However, ethanol was taken up by intestinal segments tested in vitro.

4. Addition of 1M ethanol to solutions of 1×10−3M L-proline or glycine resulted in significant depression in intestinal transport of the imino or amino acid, likely due to tissue damage. At ethanol concentrations of 0.1M and lower, there was no significant depression of L-proline or glycine transport.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. From the Section of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.

    Richard P. Spencer M.D., Ph.D., Kenneth R. Brody B.S. & Barbara M. Lutters

Authors
  1. Richard P. Spencer M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Kenneth R. Brody B.S.
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  3. Barbara M. Lutters
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Additional information

This study was supported by Grant HD 411 from the U.S. Public Health Service.

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Spencer, R.P., Brody, K.R. & Lutters, B.M. Some effects of ethanol on the gastrointestinal tract. Digest Dis Sci 9, 599–604 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02232118

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