title: Effects of chronic ethanol and diet treatment on urinary folate excretion and development of folate deficiency in the rat.
abstract: Because the folate deficiency of chronic alcoholism has been proposed to result from ethanol-induced effects on metabolism or urinary excretion of folate, the present study was designed to evaluate the role of chronic ethanol-induced urinary folate loss on folate homeostasis in the rat. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed nutritionally sufficient liquid diets for 12 wk with or without ethanol, folate and sulfonamide. Urinary folate excretion was increased in ethanol-fed rats consuming folate-containing diets, but not in rats fed folate deficient diets. Consumption of folate-deficient diets led to a rapid decrease in urinary folate excretion, suggesting renal adaptation to conserve folate. Tissue and plasma levels of folate were mostly unaffected by ethanol ingestion in rats fed folate-containing diets. Ethanol treatment did not consistently enhance tissue folate depletion in rats fed folate-deficient diets. The results suggest that in rats consuming diets containing high levels of folate, chronic ethanol ingestion increased urinary folate excretion, but not to a sufficient magnitude to consistently affect folate homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport 71130-3932.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: McMartin
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Eisenga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fortney
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bairnsfather
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000652:urine; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000209:etiology* / Q000652:urine; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D013449:Sulfonamides; D000431:Ethanol; D005492:Folic Acid