Abstract: [Abstract]   Objective    To discuss the impacts of different doses of alcohol on the level of microparticles (EMPs) of
rat endothelial cells.   Methods   Sixty male SD rats were randomly allocated into four groups: high dose group (group A), medium dose group (group B), low dose group (group C) and the blank contrast group (group D). There were15rats in each group. Rats were fed alcohol for8weeks. Flow cytometer was used to measure the level of circulating CD31+ /CD42- EMPsin four groups, and which was compared with the alcohol dosage.    Results   Compared with group D, the level of circulating EMPs was significantly increased in group A and B (P<0.05). There was no significant change in the level of circulating EMPs in group C (P>0.05).   Conclusion   The moderate and high doses of alcohol are harmful to the function of vascular endothelial cells in rats, which show a significant dose-effect relationship. The low dose of alcohol shows no effect on the function of vascular endothelial cells in rats. The protective effect of alcohol needs further investigation

Key words: ethanol, endothelium, vascular, endothelial microparticles, flow cytometry, rats, Sprague- Dawley