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Effect of Acute Alcohol Treatment on the Release of ACTH, Corticosterone, and Pro‐Inflammatory Cytokines in Response to Endotoxin
Author(s) -
Rivier Catherine
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1999.tb04169.x
Subject(s) - corticosterone , lipopolysaccharide , endocrinology , medicine , tumor necrosis factor alpha , cytokine , adrenocorticotropic hormone , alcohol , proinflammatory cytokine , basal (medicine) , chemistry , hormone , inflammation , biochemistry , insulin
This study investigated the effects of acute alcohol pretreatment on endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced release of ACTH, corticostcrone, and pro‐inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interlcukin‐6 (1L‐6) in plasma and at various tissues sites. Specifically, we wanted to determine whether alcohol pretreatment would alter the ACTH, corticosterone, and cytokine responses to LPS, and whether the alcohol‐induced changes in ACTH/corticosterone secretory rates of endotoxemic rats were accompanied by similar changes in cytokine production. Alcohol, 3.0 g/kg, intragastric (ig), was administered 3 hr before LPS treatment [1.0 or 5.0 μ‐g/kg, intravenous (iv)], and ACTH, corticosterone, and cytokines levels were measured over a 4 hr post LPS treatment. In intact rats, the alcohol‐induced plasma ACTH and corticostcrone responses had returned to basal levels by the time of LPS injection, and alcohol pretrcatment increased the corticosterone but not the ACTH response after LPS treatment. In contrast, in adrenalectomized corticosterone‐replaced animals, the alcohol‐induced ACTH response was still elevated at the time of LPS injection. However, the overall ACTH response of rats pretreated with the vehicle or alcohol was statistically similar. As expected, LPS also significantly stimulated both TNF‐α and IL‐6 release into the general circulation. The IL‐6, but not the TNF‐α, response was inhibited by alcohol pretreatment in intact rats, a phenomenon that was not present in adrenalectomized animals. Finally, we showed that LPS also augmented the TNF‐α and/or IL‐6 content of the pituitary, adrenal glands, and spleen, and that these responses were not altered by alcohol pretreatment.