Morphologic changes of the esophageal mucosa in the rat after chronic alcohol ingestion

Fifteen litter-matched pairs of Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups, one fed an alcoholic diet and the other fed an isocaloric but non-alcoholic diet. 5 animals each of the experimental and control groups were sacrificed at 98, 200 and 290 d. The upper part of esophagus was fixed for morphological analysis of semi-fine sections. The following histological observations were made on the oral-esophageal mucosa of the alcohol-consuming animals: An epithelial atrophy was observed between 200 and 290 d of alcoholisation . This atrophy was not the result of a decrease in the number of epithelial layers, but was associated with a decrease in basal cellular size. A basal cell pleomorphism and a tendency towards epithelial dysplasia were the rule after long time alcohol consumption. These observations reflect features resembling to those seen in Plummer- Vinson syndrome, a precancerous state in humans.