Alcohol total enteral nutrition is a model of alcoholism where ethanol is infused intragastrically and it substitutes for carbohydrate as part of an isocaloric diet. The effect of chronic alcohol treatment by total enteral nutrition on liver DNA (nuclear and mitochondrial) integrity and RNA levels were evaluated in this study. DNA integrity was evaluated by qPCR using specific primers, and RNA levels were evaluated by reverse transcriptase-PCR. Nuclear DNA integrity was not significantly affected by the alcohol treatment; however, mitochondrial DNA was significantly degraded. In parallel, the levels of a representative mitochondrial mRNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) decreased significantly in alcohol-treated livers. These results suggest that: i) nuclear DNA is not a target of chronic alcohol infusion; ii) mitochondrial DNA is particularly sensitive, resulting in decreased transcription of mtDNA which may negatively impact on mitochondrial functionality.

Liver DNA damage in chronic alcoholic liver disease

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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