Ethanol increases iron absorption. Therefore, increased amount of iron reaches the liver, and exerts pro-oxidant effects and stimulates ferritin synthesis and hepatic stellate cell activation, promoting fibrosis and inflammation. These mechanisms would theoretically support a role of ferritin as a marker of the transition to liver cirrhosis, and, consequently, as a prognostic factor, but there is controversy regarding its behavior in alcoholics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBoth manganese and copper may affect bone synthesis. Bone content of both metals can be altered in alcoholics, although controversy exists regarding this matter. To analyse the relative and combined effects of ethanol and a low protein diet on bone copper and manganese, and their relationships with bone structure and metabolism, including trabecular bone mass (TBM), osteoid area (OA), osteocalcin (OCN), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), parathyroid hormone (PTH), urinary hydroxyproline (uHP) and vitamin D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Some observations suggest that oxidative damage may affect both osteoblastic function and osteoclastic activity in alcohol-mediated bone alterations. Selenium, a potent antioxidant, is decreased in alcoholics.
Objective: To analyse if the supplementation with selenium may alter bone changes observed in a murine model fed ethanol and/or a 2% protein-containing diet, following the Lieber-deCarli design.