The effects of acute and chronic exposure to ethanol on glucose uptake by rat jejunal brush-border membrane vesicles.

Rats were pair-fed for 28-32 days a nutritionally adequate liquid control diet or an isocaloric diet containing ethanol (5% v/v). Brush-border membrane vesicles were prepared from jejunal mucosa and Na+-dependent D-glucose accumulation was measured using sugar concentrations of 0.2-1.0 mmol l-1. In separate experiments the effects of acute ethanol exposure on glucose uptake by vesicles prepared from chow-fed rats were determined. Chronic ethanol ingestion enhanced Na+-gradient-dependent glucose uptake. In contrast, incubation of vesicles with alcohol (4% v/v), reduced active uptake of the sugar.