Search resultsThe effect of acute alcohol intoxication on gut wall integrity in healthy male volunteers; a randomized controlled trial
Title
The effect of acute alcohol intoxication on gut wall integrity in healthy male volunteers; a randomized controlled trial
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2015
Authors
Journal
Alcohol
Volume
49
Issue
1
Pagination
65 - 70
Date published
2015
ISBN
07418329 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alanine aminotransferase, alcohol, alcohol consumption, alcohol intoxication, article, aspartate aminotransferase, blood sampling, CD14 antigen, cell damage, Endotoxemia, Fatty acid binding protein, fluid intake, gamma glutamyltransferase, Gut wall integrity, human, human experiment, inflammation, interleukin 6, intestine cell, intestine wall, lipopolysaccharide binding protein, liver cell damage, male, normal human, randomized controlled trial (topic), water
Abstract
The aim of the study is to determine the effect of acute alcohol consumption on enterocytes. Chronic alcohol consumption has been known to induce a decrease in gut wall integrity in actively drinking alcoholics and patients with alcohol-induced liver disease. Data on the extent of the damage induced by acute alcohol consumption in healthy human beings is scarce. Studies show that heavy incidental alcohol consumption is a growing problem in modern society. Data on this matter may provide insights into the consequences of this behavior for healthy individuals. In a randomized clinical trial in crossover design, 15 healthy volunteers consumed water one day and alcohol the other. One blood sample was collected pre-consumption, five every hour post-consumption, and one after 24h. Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) was used as a marker for enterocyte damage. Liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were used as markers for hepatocyte damage. Lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and soluble CD14 (sCD14) were used as a measure of translocation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was used to assess the acute inflammatory response to endotoxemia. Alcohol consumption caused a significant increase in serum I- and L-FABP levels, compared to water consumption. Levels increased directly post-consumption and decreased to normal levels within 4h. LBP, sCD14, and IL-6 levels were not significantly higher in the alcohol group. Moderate acute alcohol consumption immediately damages the enterocyte but does not seem to cause endotoxemia.