The Improvements of Glutamine, Epidermal Growth Factor and Synbiotics on Alcoholic Liver Diseases by the Intestinal Health

The purpose of this three-year study is to investigate the effects of glutamine, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and synbiotics supplementation on the alcoholic liver disease (ALD) in rats by the intestinal health. In the first year, we will evaluate the improvement of glutamine supplementation on the various ALD-related pathogenic indicators in the first year, including (1) liver function and lipid profiles; (2) the plasma glutamine content; (3) inflammatory responses and cytokine contents; (4) hepatic oxidative stress; (5) hepatic apoptosis; (6) histological features of liver and intestine and (7) the intestinal permeability. In the second year, we will investigate the improvement of EGF supplementation on the ALD by means of increasing the intestinal barrier, including：(1) liver function and lipid profiles; (2) the plasma endotoxin levels; (3) the EGF level of intestine; (4) the intestinal repair; (5)the cell cycle of intestine; (6) the apoptosis of intestine; (7) histological features of liver and intestine and (8) the intestinal permeability. In the third year, we will investigate the improvement of synbiotics supplementation on the ALD by means of changing the intestinal bacteria, including: (1) the fecal bacteria analysis; (2) liver function and lipid profiles; (3) the endotoxin levels of intestine and plasma; (4) inflammatory responses and cytokine contents; (5) histological features of liver and intestine and (6) the intestinal permeability.