EFFECT OF CHRONIC ETHANOL ADMINISTRATION AND DIETARY-PROTEIN REGIMENSON INTESTINAL-ABSORPTION OF MACROMOLECULES IN RATS

The effect of feeding ethanol daily for 40 days has been studied on in testinal absorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and gamma-globulin ( IgC) in rats fed a low (8%) protein (LP) or a high (30%) protein (HP) diet. Feeding the LP diet enhanced the tissue uptake of BSA (p < 0.05) and absorption of BSA and IgC into serum (p < 0.001) as compared with controls. Feeding the HP diet also augmented the uptake of IgG (p < 0 .001) by the intestinal tissue and significantly enhanced serum levels of BSA and IgG. Ethanol feeding to rats for 40 days enhanced the upta ke of BSA and IgG (24-84%) and their absorption into serum (p < 0.001) as compared with the controls. Ethanol administration to rats fed LP or HP diets did not alter the uptake of these proteins as compared wit h their resepctive controls. Luminal degradation of BSA and IgG was hi gher in ethanol-administered (48-50% and 36-39%, respectively) and LP- fed rats (50 and 38%, respectively). It was reduced by 17-21% in HP-fe d rats as compared with the control group. This indicated that the obs erved increase in protein absorption is not related to the luminal deg radation of the proteins under these conditions, These findings sugges t that the absorption of macromolecules from intestine in response to ethanol feeding is influenced by the dietary status of the animals.