Effect of long-term ethanol feeding on rat liver interstitial collagens

Long-term administration of ethanol to rats over a 12-month period was used in an attempt to compare the altered collagen metabolism in liver damaged rats with that in humans having alcoholic liver disease. The percent collagen in the rat liver increased nearly twofold during this period, but no increase in the rate of collagen biosynthesis was dectected by using pulse, radiolabel proline incorporation into hydroxyproline. Fibrosis was not detectable by histological methods nor were any alterations found in the relative proportions of the genetically distinct type I and type III interstitial collagens. These results demonstrates a minimal yet positive effect of long-term ethanol consumption in rats, with simultaneous increases in both type I and type III hepatic collagens.