Ethanol retards gastric epithelial restoration in monolayer cultures.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of ethanol on confluent monolayer gastric epithelial cells that had a round cell-free area in the center of the culture dish. Restoration of such "wounding" was evaluated quantitatively every 12 hr using a computer image analyzer with and without ethanol. Without ethanol, restoration was achieved within 48 hr. Exposure to ethanol retarded cellular restoration significantly. Staining for actin and myosin in the control group revealed the presence of lamellipodia and stress fibers. However, in the ethanol group narrowed lamellipodia and few stress fibers were observed. In conclusion, ethanol retarded the migration and proliferation of cultured gastric mucosal cells after in vitro wounding, possibly by damaging the cytoskeletal system.