Ethanol intake inhibits growth of the epithelium in the intestine of pregnant rats.

The effects of ethanol ingestion on jejunal and ileal epithelial cells were studied in pregnant rats by measuring crypt and villus cell population, crypt cell proliferation, and crypt cell cycle time as parameters. Timed-pregnancy female rats were fed a liquid diet containing either ethanol [designated as ethanol-fed group (EFG)] or an isocaloric amount of carbohydrate [designated as pair-fed group (PFG)] from gestational day 2 up to delivery. Daily diet ingestion, body weight, nitrogen balance, and nitrogen digestibility were assessed during the gestational period. Crypt and villus cell population, crypt cell proliferation, and crypt cell cycle time were measured in the maternal small intestine at the time animals were killed, just after delivery. Ethanol consumption resulted in ileal hypoplasia of the crypt and villus, but only the villus showed hypoplasia in the jejunum. In addition, crypt cell proliferation was markedly decreased, whereas crypt cell cycle time was longer, both in the jejunum and ileum of the EFG. Ethanol ingestion had no significant effect on body weight gain, nitrogen balance, and nitrogen digestibility. According to our expectations, the offspring from the EFG had significantly lower body weight. In conclusion, chronic ethanol ingestion during pregnancy inhibited the maternal intestinal epithelium growth, more extensively in the ileum.