Lectin histochemistry has became a powerful auxilary tool for the characterization of saccharide moieties in cytoplasm and cell surface during development, injury, differentiation and dedifferentiation. The present work aims to evaluate changes in the expression of carbohydrates in organs of the gastrointestinal tract of rats submited to ethanol stress (ethanol group – EG), treated with carotenoids (treated group – TG) and control group (CG). Biopsies of stomach, intestine and liver were sliced (4 µm), treated with trypsin and methanol-H₂O₂ solutions and incubated with lectins conjugated to horseradish peroxidase - HRP (peanut agglutinin, PNA-HRP; Lotus tetragonolobus agglutinin, LTA-HRP, and concanavalin A, Con A-HRP). Lectin staining was visualized with diaminobenzidine-H₂O₂ solution and slices were counter-stained with haematoxylin and analised by light microscopy. Lectins binding was inhibited with its respective carbohydrate (glucose for Con A, fucose for LTA and galactose for PNA) in 0.3M soltution. In EG, LTA (20 mg/mL) recognized residues of a-L-fucose in the membrane and cytoplasm of Lieberkühn cripts. In TG and CG, LTA recognized glycoconjugates in the membrane of Lieberkühn cripts but not your citoplasm. PNA (50 mg/mL) stained apical cells of fundle gland in EG. In  TG and CG, basal cells as well as apical cells of fundle gland were stained by PNA. In all groups, liver cells were not recognized by the lectins used. Con A (50 mg/ml) failed to recognize residues of a-D-glucose and a-D-mannose in cells of all organs. The results indicated that there are differences in the expression of carbohydrates in stomach, intestine and liver among rats exposed to ethanol stress and treated with carotenoids.