Abstract
Ethanol ingestion is known to influence intestinal glycosylation, epithelial cell morphology, luminal micro ecology and produces mal-absorption in mammals. In the present study, the effect of 6% ethanol on glycosylation and various enzyme systems was investigated in isolated epithelial cells in vitro. The activities of various brush border enzymes were reduced 10-30% in epithelial cells by ethanol exposure. Chemical analysis, revealed an increase in membrane sialic acid (70%) and total hexosamine (122%), and reduction in fucose (32%) and hexoses (18%) contents of ethanol treated cells compared to controls. The observed changes in sialylation and fucosylation were corroborated by binding of biotinylated Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA; affinity for N-acetylglucosamine and sialic acid) and Ulex europaeus agglutinin (UEA; affinity for α-L-fucose). Solid phase lectin binding assay showed a 65% increase in WGA and a 37% decrease in UEA reactivity in ethanol exposed cells compared to controls. These findings indicate that ethanol exposure modulates the glycosylation process in intestinal cells in vitro, which is similar to that seen under in vivo conditions. This may provide an in vitro assay system of ethanol toxicity, which could be of pathological significance.
Highlights
The gastrointestinal tract play active role in the defense of the host against the external environment
We have previously demonstrated that ethanol ingestion leads to marked changes in glycosylation of intestinal microvillus membrane [1,13]
In this study the effect of 6% ethanol on sialylation and fucosylation processes was investigated in isolated enterocytes from rats
Summary
The gastrointestinal tract play active role in the defense of the host against the external environment This protective system of the small intestine consists of three components, namely the microflora, the mucosal barrier and the local immune system, which constantly communicate with each other [1,2,3]. Sugar residues in cell-surface glycoproteins play a key role in cell–cell recognition, as antigenic determinants, and in interactions with the extracellular environment They act as binding sites for a variety of endogenous ligands (antigens and hormones) and exogenous ligands (microbial adhesins, bacterial toxins, and viral hemagglutinins) [6,7,8]. There was an increase in membrane sialic acid associated with reduced fucose levels Whether such effects of ethanol ingestion is a consequence of its effects on enterocytes parse or is due to its metabolism (secondary effect) is not known. The present study was undertaken to investigate effects of ethanol on glycosylation in isolated enterocytes in vitro in rats
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