EFFECT OF ETHANOL ADMINISTRATION TOGETHER WITH HIGH-PROTEIN OR LOW-PROTEIN DIET ON LIPID-COMPOSITION OF INTESTINAL MICROVILLUS MEMBRANE IN RATS

Ethanol feeding daily for 40 days to rats enhanced cholesterol, trigly cerides, phospholipids (PL), and glycolipids contents of intestinal br ush borders. The observed increase in membrane PL was reflected in pho sphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl choline, and pho sphatidyl ethanolamine. Feeding of an 8% protein (low protein; LP) die t to rats reduced the cholesterol content but augmented PL, triglyceri de, and cerebroside contents of brush borders compared with the contro l values. Membranes from ethanol-fed, malnourished animals revealed a decrease in membrane PL and triglyceride contents compared with those values for LP-fed rats. Feeding of a 30% protein (high protein; HP) di et to rats significantly increased various lipid fractions ( cholester ol, PL, cerebrosides, and gangliosides) of intestinal microvillus memb rane (MVM) compared with those of the controls. Ethanol administration together with the HP diet reduced membrane cholesterol, PL, triglycer ides and glycolipids contents compared with those values for HP-fed an imals. Thus, the feeding of a HP diet prevented the lipid accumulation in the rat intestine induced by chronic ethanol feeding. These result s suggest that lipid composition of intestinal MVM is modified by etha nol and dietary protein regimens. The sensitivity of MVM lipid composi tion to ethanol is influenced by the dietary protein content of the an imals.