Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Iron increases ethanol toxicity in rat liver

P Stål¹, R Hultcrantz

¹Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute at Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.

Journal of Hepatology

|January 1, 1993

Summary

High iron levels worsen alcohol-induced liver damage. This study in rats showed that iron overload significantly increases liver injury and inflammation when combined with alcohol, highlighting iron

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Colorectal cancer screening with fecal immunochemical testing or primary colonoscopy: An analysis of health equity based on a randomised trial.

EClinicalMedicine·2022

Same author

Aspects of colorectal cancer screening, methods, age and gender.

Journal of internal medicine·2020

Same author

Cost-effectiveness of high-sensitivity faecal immunochemical test and colonoscopy screening for colorectal cancer.

The British journal of surgery·2017

Same author

Psychological Factors in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: a Population-based Study of Patients, Non-patients and Controls.

Scandinavian journal of gastroenterology·2017

Same author

Expression of thioredoxins and glutaredoxins in human hepatocellular carcinoma: correlation to cell proliferation, tumor size and metabolic syndrome.

International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology·2014

Same author

High dose ursodeoxycholic acid in primary sclerosing cholangitis does not prevent colorectal neoplasia.

Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics·2012

Area of Science:

Hepatology
Toxicology
Nutritional Science

Background:

Patients with iron overload exhibit increased susceptibility to alcohol-induced liver injury.
Iron may potentiate alcohol's hepatotoxicity by catalyzing lipid peroxidation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of iron in exacerbating ethanol-induced hepatocellular damage.
To establish and utilize a novel rat model for studying iron and alcohol interactions in the liver.

Main Methods:

Rats were fed a diet supplemented with carbonyl iron for 8 weeks.
Animals subsequently received a liquid ethanol diet for 4 weeks, with pair-feeding controls.
Liver iron content, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, and liver hydroxyproline were measured. Histological and ultrastructural analyses were performed.

Main Results:

Iron-fed rats exhibited significantly higher liver iron content (6.4 µg Fe/mg protein) compared to controls (0.5 µg Fe/mg protein).
Serum ALT levels were markedly elevated in the iron+alcohol group (269 U/l) versus controls (52 U/l), correlating with hepatic iron.
Morphological examination revealed hepatocellular necrosis, inflammation, and iron deposition in Kupffer cells in the iron+alcohol group, along with increased liver hydroxyproline.

Conclusions:

The combination of iron overload and ethanol consumption leads to significant biochemical and morphological evidence of enhanced hepatocellular damage.
Iron acts as a critical factor in potentiating alcohol-induced liver injury, distinct from simple alcohol-induced steatosis.
This study provides a robust experimental model for understanding iron's role in alcohol-related liver disease.

Related Experiment Videos