Effects of Ethanol on Intestinal Permeability and Integrity

Healthy

Permeability, tight junctions, cytokines, inflammatory bowel diseases, The effect of alcohol on the intestinal permeability may have major consequences on health., It's generally accepted that an increased intestinal permeability in alcoholic subjects lead, to translocation of bacterial endotoxins from the gut lumen into the portal vein and then to the liver., In the liver, endotoxins trigger the immune system and activate the resident macrophages, Kupffer cells., Activation of Kupffer cells leads to production of chemokines (IL-8) and, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNFα),resulting in hepatocytes damage, inflammation, fibrosis and finally cirrhosis.

Alcohol consumption is a major health problem worldwide. It affects all systems of the body especially the gastrointestinal tract. Acute or chronic alcohol consumption has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal mucosa vary from increased intestinal permeability, structural changes to sever destruction of the epithelial lining cells. Human data are still limited and most of the studies were performed in chronic alcohol abusers. The investigators hypothesize that moderate alcohol drinking also may increase small intestinal permeability and contribute to the subsequent disruption of the tight junction complex. This study may provide more insight into the effects of moderate alcohol drinking on the small intestinal permeability.

Netherlands