Beneficial role of dietary folic acid on cholesterol and bile acid metabolism in ethanol-fed rats.

OBJECTIVE: Cholesterol metabolism is altered by chronic ethanol consumption. In previous articles, we demonstrated the anti-oxidant capacity of folic acid, which may be useful in the prevention of damage provoked by ethanol. We want to determine the effects of ethanol on cholesterol and bile metabolism and whether a folic acid-supplemented diet could change alterations provoked by a chronic ethanol intake in rats. METHOD: We used four experimental groups: (1) control, (2) alcohol, (3) alcohol supplemented with folic acid, and (4) control supplemented with folic acid. In all the experimental groups, we measured hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, and cholesterol and bile acids in serum, liver, bile, and feces. RESULTS: We have found that the alcohol-fed groups showed high hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity, total hepatic and serum cholesterol concentration, bile cholesterol secretion concentration, and cholesterol enterohepatic circulation. Total serum and hepatic cholesterol levels decreased when alcohol-fed rats were supplemented with folic acid. The hepatic bile acid concentration increased in both chronic ethanol groups. Folic acid supplementation significantly increased bile cholesterol secretion, the bile acids in bile, and fecal bile acid excretion in ethanol-exposed rats. The independent bile acid fraction showed no significant differences between both ethanol groups with respect to Na+, K+, and Cl- concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: Folic acid increases bile flow, bile acid synthesis from cholesterol, and bile acid excretion via feces, thus provoking a decrease in serum and hepatic cholesterol. However none of these actions were observed in supplemented control rats. This, therefore, could be yet another beneficial effect of folic acid on alcoholic patients.

Sex-related differences in effect of ethanol administration and folic acid supplementation on pancreatic amylase in rats.

The present study was designed to determine whether folic acid supplement is sufficient to reverse the negative effects of ethanol consumption on amylase activity during gestation, lactation, and growth. Moreover, this study investigated the sex-related differences in amylase content in the pancreatic tissue, serum, and urine. The animals were randomized into three groups: Control group (CG) received water and a basic rat diet during pregnancy, lactation, and growth; Ethanol-rats (EG) were fed an ethanol diet during pregnancy, the suckling period, and growth until death; and Ethanol + folic acid group (E + FG) were handled the same way as those of EG, except they received a folic acid supplement from reproduction until the end of experimental period. Our results showed that ethanol consumption decreased the pancreatic amylase level in offspring rats at 2 months postpartum. Folic acid supplementation did not alter pancreatic amylase activities. In offspring males, ethanol administration decreased serum amylase activity at 2 months postpartum. Folic acid supplementation in males resulted in higher serum amylase levels than those corresponding to the ethanol-fed group. In females, no significant differences between groups in serum amylase levels were found. Ethanol consumption decreased urinary amylase excretion (at 30 days and 2 months postpartum), but the folic acid-supplemented group showed a more pronounced decrease in urine amylase activity than in the ethanol-fed group. At 30 days postpartum, no sex difference in urinary amylase was identified. However, in general, males showed higher values for urine amylase than females at 2 months postpartum. A folic acid-supplemented diet exerts an advantageous effect on amylase in serum in offspring males at 2 months postpartum of mothers fed ethanol during gestation and lactation periods, because amylase renal absorption is increased. In offspring females, amylase renal absorption is also increased, but we did not observed an advantageous effect on amylase in serum. It may be that sexual differentiation in females at 2 months postpartum exerts a definitive effect on amylase in serum. We found a sex-related difference in amylase activities; therefore, we suggest that in future all results of the exocrine pancreas function, in male and female animals, be analyzed separately.