title: Chronic ethanol treatment: dolichol and retinol distribution in isolated rat liver cells.
abstract: The aim of this study was to use chronic ethanol intoxication for 2 and 4 months as a means of studying the distribution of dolichol and retinol in isolated rat liver parenchymal cells, Kupffer cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells, and two subfractions of hepatic stellate cells: Ito 1 and Ito 2. Dolichol and retinol were studied in two batches of rats: on normal nutrition and after a load of vitamin A given 3 d before sacrifice. New observations reported are: (i) on normal nutrition, after 2 months of treatment, dolichol in HC seems to be the first target of chronic ethanol, while retinol is the first target in hepatic stellate cells; (ii) the various types of liver cells are differently affected by chronic ethanol, which highlights the importance of studying each type of sinusoidal cell; (iii) a load of vitamin A given when the damage has already occurred restores dolichol content in HC while retinol decreases; and, (iv) a link between dolichol and vitamin A metabolism might be supposed after the load of vitamin A: the percentage distribution of dolichol with 18 isoprene units (Dolichol -18) increases in all the control cells but decreases after chronic ethanol treatment. A different role of this dolichol and/or a different compartmentalization within the cell need to be further investigated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of General Pathology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Damiano
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cottalasso
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Canepa
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maloberti
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casu
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nanni
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004286:Dolichols / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004286:Dolichols; D014801:Vitamin A; D000431:Ethanol