Chronic ethanol abuse and membrane fluidity changes in liver disease.

Abstract

The long-term effect of ethanol on human red cell membrane fluidity was studied, by fluorescence polarization with 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene as a probe, in 11 healthy subjects, 9 chronic alcoholics without evidence of liver disease, 12 chronic alcoholics with biopsy-proven alcoholic liver disease and 9 abstemious patients with chronic active liver disease, most of them cirrhosis of the liver. Fluorescence polarization values were not significantly different in the two groups without liver disease. Patients with alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease showed higher fluorescence polarization values than patients without liver disease. These changes correlated with the severity of liver dysfunction and were not related to alcohol consumption. In conclusion, the decrease in fluidity of the erythrocyte membrane in alcoholic patients with chronic liver disease, is related to liver dysfunction but not to chronic ethanol ingestion. Changes in membrane fluidity in chronic alcoholics are found only in the presence of liver disease.