DIETARY-PROTEIN REGIMENS AND CHRONIC ETHANOL ADMINISTRATION EFFECTS ON SODIUM AND PROTON-DEPENDENT SOLUTE UPTAKE IN RAT INTESTINE

The effect of feeding ethanol daily for 40 days has been studied on in testinal uptake of glucose, glycine, and leucine in rats fed control, 8% protein (LP), and 30% protein (HP) diets. Nai-dependent uptake of g lucose and glycine both at pH 7.2 and pH 5.5 was significantly depress ed (p < 0.001) in ethanol or LP diet-fed animals and remained unaffect ed in HP-fed rats compared to the controls. But ethanol administration to protein-malnourished rats enhanced the Na+-linked glucose and glyc ine uptakes. Leucine uptake remained unaffected under these conditions . Glucose uptake remained unaltered whereas glycine uptake was reduced when ethanol was administered to rats given HP diet. In the absence o f Na+, uptake of glucose, glycine, and leucine was more at acidic pH c ompared to that at pH 7.2 under all the experimental conditions invest igated. Proton-linked uptake of solutes was unaffected by feeding etha nol, LP, or HP diet in rats. Thus, chronic ethanol feeding specificall y depresses the Na+-dependent uptake of glucose and glycine. Dietary p rotein content modifies ethanol effects on intestinal solute uptake in rats.