Effect of Dietary Vitamin A on Plasma Membrane Property and Ultrastructure in Ethanol -administered Rat Liver

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin A on the membrane property and ultrastructure in ethanol-administered rat livers. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing of 130 ~150g were fed with experimental diets for 7 weeks. The diets contained different types of vitamin A which were $\beta$-carotene, retinyl acetate and retinoic acid. After feeding theexperimental diets for 7 weeks, a dose of 3.0g ethanol (30%, W/V)/kg B.W was injected to rats intraperitoneally. Control rats received 0.9% saline containing isocaloric sucrose instead of ethanol. Plasma membrane fluidity of liver decreased in rats fed with vitamin a -Deficient diet with ethanol as compared to that of control rats. Fluidity change of liver plasma membrane that ethanol had induced was influenced by dietary supplementation of vitamin A, but not influenced by the type of supplemented vitamin. A . The ultrastructural changed of hepatic mitrochondria were observed in some rats such as vitamin A-deficient rats with ethanol. Inadequate consumptionof vitamin A contributed to ultrastructural changes such as swelled mitochondria occurred by ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity. Although accurate mechanism involved in the plasma membrane-stabilizing effect of vitamin A is still unclear, dietary supplementation of vitamin A such as retinyl acetate is neede to modulate this change. The direct involvement of membrane property on the cell damage caused by ethanol treatment remains to be established.