Ethanol diffuses across the gastric muscle wall

Ethanol inhibits the electrical and mechanical activities of gastric smooth muscle, but only at concentrations higher than can be provided by serum delivery. We speculated that the ethanol concentration in the gastric wall may exceed plasma levels by direct diffusion across the mucosa and through the muscle layers. A model of acute ethanol ingestion was created by partitioning the stomachs of three dogs with a surgical stapling device and instilling carbon 14 (14C)-labeled ethanol into the proximal segments. The flux of ethanol was traced by counting 14C in serial sections of the gastric wall. A mucosa-to-serosa gradient of 14C activity was established. The data indicate that direct diffusion from the mucosal surface will produce dramatically higher concentrations of ethanol in gastric muscle than would be anticipated from serum levels alone