Alcohol is an oxidative stressor for gastric epithelial cells: detection of superoxide in living cells.

Alcohol/ethanol has been reported to derived necrosis and apoptosis with an oxidative stress in gastric mucosal cells. However the clear evidence for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by alcohol in gastric cells in vitro is none. In this study, we elucidated ethanol is an oxidative stress inducer on rat gastric epithelial cells by electron paramagnetic resonance measurement in living cells. We also confirmed whether ethanol-induced cellular ROS was derived from mitochondria or not. The results of cellular ROS determination showed that an increment of cellular ROS was shown for 15 min from exposing 1% (v/v) ethanol. Lipid peroxidation in cellular membrane also induced by 1% ethanol and the tendency is same in the results of cellular ROS determination. JC-1 stained showed the decrement of mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally the localization of cellular ROS coincided with mitochondria. These results indicated that ethanol is not merely a necrotizing factor for gastric epithelial cells, but also an oxidative stress inducer via injured mitochondria.