Abstract: 【Abstrat】 Objective To explore the protective effect of berberine on intestinal leak in mice with alcoholic hepatitis. Methods Forty male C57BL/6mice were randomly divided into control, alcohol, berberine, alcohol plus berberine group with10animals in each. Mice were fed with alcohol or vehicle for8weeks, all were sacrificed. Serum alanine aminotransferas （ALT）, aspartate aminotransferase（AST）, lipopolysaccharide （LPS） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA）. The pathologic changes of liver tissues were assessed by HE staining, and the ultrastructures of tight junction（TJ） complex was observed by transmission electron microscope. In vitro, occludin, the main structural protein of intercellular TJ, was detected by immunofluorescence in intestinal epithelial Caco-2cells, which were cultured with ethanol （EtOH）, BBR, EtOH plus BBR respectively. Results Serum ALT, AST, LPS levels in alcohol group were（46.5±5.9） U/L, （57.0±6.1） U/L, （0.40±0.05） ng/ml, respectively, significantly higher than those in control group （P<0.01）;There was no significant difference between alcohol plus BBR group, control group;Serum ALT, AST, LPS levels in alcohol plus BBR group were （27.6±4.2） U/L, （31.8±4.1） U/L and（0.24±0.03） ng/ml, respectively, significantly lower than those in alcohol group（P<0.05）;The histopathologic examination of liver tissues showed alcoholic hepatitis in alcohol group, and it was alleviated as respect to steatosis, inflammatory cell infiltration in alcohol plus BBR group;Electron micrographs showed that the TJ structures between intestinal epithelial cells were fuzzy, the gaps were expanded obviously in alcohol group, and all of these were improved obviously in alcohol plus BBR group;Immunofluorescence indicated that the occludin on Caco-2cell membranes were decreased, interrupted, partly entered into cytoplasm in alcohol group, while in alcohol plus BBR group, the distribution of occludin was decreased, though, but was continuous.Conclusion Berberine improves the decrease in occludin expression on cell membranes, the disruption of TJ structures between intestinal epithelial cells induced by chronic ethanol intake, alleviates intestinal leak

Key words: Alcoholic hepatitis, Berberine, Intestinal leak, Tight junction, Occludin, Mice