Blood group antigen expression in the rat colon II. Modulation by dietary ethanol consumption

In the accompanying article, we established that in the rat distal colon expression of H, B, and Le(b) blood group antigens by goblet cells is phenotypically fetal in nature. Because of the cocarcinogenic property of ethanol, the present study examined the effects of dietary ethanol consumption, fasting, and withdrawal on the expression of these antigens in the adult rat colon. To that effect, male adult Sprague-Dawley rats were pair-fed ethanol-containing or control Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets for 3 weeks. The effects of ethanol withdrawal were studied in rats fed the ethanol-containing diet for 3 weeks followed by the control diet for 1, 3, and 6 days. In rats fed the control diet, no antigen expression in the distal colon was observed, as expected. Ethanol feeding for 3 weeks resulted in a striking reappearance of H, B, and Le(b) antigens in goblet cells of the distal colon. In colonic crypts, a lower-to-upper crypt gradient of increasing numbers of positive goblet cells was present, suggesting that the induction of antigen expression paralleled the differentiation of goblet cells. After an overnight fast, the number of positive cells was significantly decreased. Withdrawal of ethanol for 1 day further decreased the number of positive goblet cells. The decrease was reflected by a downward shift in the number of positive cells per crypt column, which was more striking in the lower and mid-crypt segments than in the upper segment, suggesting that antigen expression was more labile in immature differentiating goblet cells than in mature ones. No antigen staining of goblet cells was detected after 3 and 6 days of ethanol withdrawal. Hence, expression of H, B, and Le(b) antigens by goblet cells of the distal colon can be modulated by ethanol consumption. Expression in the distal colon of A and Le(a) antigens, which did not exhibit a fetal phenotype, was not affected by ethanol feeding. In conclusion, because of the oncofetal phenotype of H, B, and Le(b) antigens, their reappearance in the distal colon may serve as a cytochemical marker for early recognition of epithelial changes of the colon in ethanol-related cocarcinogenesis before more overt manifestations of neoplasia.