title: Effect of chronic alcohol consumption on total plasma homocysteine level in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic alcoholism in humans is associated with the development of hyperhomocysteinemia, the mechanism of which remains unclear. Among the causes of hyperhomocysteinemia is depletion of folate, vitamin B12, or vitamin B6. Population-based studies indicate that folate is the strongest vitamin determinant of hyperhomocysteinemia and, in most settings, folate supplementation effectively lowers elevated homocysteine levels. However, it is not clear whether folate deficiency is the cause of alcohol-related hyperhomocysteinemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present study, 10 male Sprague Dawley rats were fed ethanol-containing Lieber-DeCarli diets with 13 mg of folic acid per kilogram of diet. This represents a folate intake more than 20 times the basal requirement. Ethanol represented 36% of total energy, which yielded a concentration of 6.2% (vol/vol). The same number of rats were pair-fed with isocaloric control diets that contained an identical level of folate in which ethanol was entirely replaced by maltodextrin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of 4 weeks, alcohol-fed rats did not show any significant reduction in plasma or hepatic folate concentrations, plasma pyridoxal-5'-phosphate concentration, or plasma vitamin B12 concentration. On the other hand, alcohol-fed rats were significantly hyperhomocysteinemic (17.24 +/- 4.63 micromol/liter,p < 0.01) compared to the nonalcohol group (10.73 +/- 2.76 micromol/liter). Alcohol-fed rats also had a significantly lower hepatic S-adenosylmethionine and higher hepatic S-adenosylhomocysteine levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic alcohol consumption produces hyperhomocysteinemia by a mechanism that is related to interference with one-carbon metabolism, and not through vitamin depletion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Stiftsklinik Augustinum, München, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stickel
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Y I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Bagley
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selhub
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Mason
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D006397:Hematinics / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D011736:Pyridoxine / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D006397:Hematinics; D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid; D011736:Pyridoxine; D014805:Vitamin B 12