Premium
Hypothesis: Metabolic Activity of the Colonic Bacteria Influences Organ Injury from Ethanol
Author(s) -
Levitt Michael D.,
Doizaki William,
Levine Allen S.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840020514
Subject(s) - ethanol , incubation , feces , ethanol metabolism , bacteria , metabolism , alcohol , chemistry , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , genetics
Incubation of human fecal homogenates with ethanol (0.078 gm per dl) resulted in accumulation of increased quantities of higher alcohols and other unidentified metabolites when compared with homogenates incubated without ethanol. Studies in rats demonstrated nearly perfect equilibration between blood and colonic luminal ethanol suggesting that the colonic flora in alcoholics is chronically exposed to ethanol concentrations in the range used in the homogenate experiments. The higher alcohols produced by the homogenates were rapidly absorbed from the colon. We hypothesize that, when exposed to ethanol, the colonic flora produced toxic compounds which are absorbed and influence the body's response to ingested ethanol. Individual differences in this bacterial metabolism may account for the wide individual differences in susceptibility to ethanol‐related organ injury.