Ethanol induced mitochondria injury and permeability transition pore opening: role of mitochondria in alcoholic liver disease.
OBJECTIVE
To observe changes of mitochondria and investigate the effect of ethanol on mitochondrial perme-ability transition pore (PTP), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP, Delta psi m) and intracellular calcium concentration in hepatocytes by establishing an animal model of alcoholic liver disease (ALD).


METHODS
Fourty adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, the model group (20) was administered alcohol intragastrically plus an Oliver oil diet to establish an ALD model, and the control group (20) was given an equal amount of normal saline. The ultramicrostructural changes of mitochondria were observed under electron microscopy. Mitochondria of liver was extracted, and patency of PTP, mitochondrial membrane potential (Delta psi m), mitochondrial mass and intracellular calcium concentration of isolated hepacytes were detected by flow cytometry using rhodamine123 (Rh123), Nonyl-Acridine Orange and calcium fluorescent probe Fluo-3/AM, respectively.


RESULTS
Membrane and cristae were broken or disappeared in mitochondria in different shapes under electron microscopy. Some mitochondria showed U shape or megamitochondrion. In the model group, liver mitochondria PTP was broken, and mitochondria swelled, the absorbance at 450 nm, A540 decreased (0.0136+/-0.0025 vs 0.0321+/-0.0013, model vs control, P<0.01); mitochondria transmembrane potential (239.4638+/-12.7263 vs 377.5850+/-16.8119, P<0.01) was lowered; mitochondrial mass (17.4350+/-1.9880 vs 31.6738+/-3.4930, P<0.01); and [Ca2+]i was increased in liver cells (7.0020+/-0.5008 vs 10.2050+/-0.4701, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic alcohol intake might lead to broken mitochondria PTP, decreased mitochondria membrane potential and injury, and elevated intracellular Ca2+ production. Ethanol-induced chondriosome injury may be an important mechanism of alcoholic diseases.
Yan
Ming
M
Department of Digestive Diseases, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China. ymylh@163.com
Zhu
Ping
P
Liu
Hui-Min
HM
Zhang
Hai-Tao
HT
Liu
Li
L
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020112:Rhodamine 123
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D033681:Mitochondrial Membrane Transport Proteins; D000083162:Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore; D020112:Rhodamine 123; D000431:Ethanol; D002118:Calcium