Heterogeneous response in hepatic sinusoidal blood flow to acute ethanol ingestion in rats

The effect of ethanol ingestion on the hepatic sinusoidal blood flow velocity was investigated in rats, using in vivo microscopy system with dual-slit photometric method. In steady state, before ethanol ingestion, the hepatic sinusoidal blood flow velocity determined at 18 points ranged widely from 54 to 245 micron/sec and the mean value was 144 +/- 13 micron/sec. After acute ethanol ingestion (1g/kg), the averaged sinusoidal blood flow velocity increased significantly to 197 +/- 17 micron/sec, while the width of sinusoids showed no apparent change. In some sinusoids, however, the blood flow velocity did not increase. Thus, the heterogeneous response in hepatic sinusoidal blood flow to the ethanol metabolism might induce the development of an imbalance between delivery and demand of oxygen to hepatocytes around those sinusoids after acute ethanol ingestion.