title: Increased monocyte nuclear factor-kappaB activation and tumor necrosis factor production in alcoholic hepatitis.
abstract: Increased tumor necrosis factor-a activity has been reported in patients with alcoholic hepatitis and is implicated in its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate potential mechanisms of increased tumor necrosis factor-a activity in alcoholic hepatitis. Monocyte nuclear factor-kB activity was assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay, monocyte tumor necrosis factor-a mRNA was semi-quantitatively assessed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and tumor necrosis factor-a in monocyte culture supernatants was measured. There was significantly greater spontaneous nuclear factor-kB activity in the monocytes of 6 patients with alcoholic hepatitis as compared with that in the monocytes of control subjects. There was spontaneous tumor necrosis factor-a mRNA and tumor necrosis factor-a release from the monocytes of patients with alcoholic hepatitis but not from the monocytes of normal subjects. Endotoxin increased nuclear factor-kB activity and induced tumor necrosis factor-a mRNA and tumor necrosis factor-a release from normal subjects' monocytes. Endotoxin further increased nuclear factor-kB activity, tumor necrosis factor-a mRNA, and tumor necrosis factor-a release from the monocytes of patients with alcoholic hepatitis. Supershift assays indicate that the monocyte nuclear factor-kB activation involves the p50 and p65 subunits. Dysregulated tumor necrosis factor-a metabolism in alcoholic hepatitis monocytes is associated with increased nuclear factor-kB activity and tumor necrosis factor-a mRNA expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky Medical Center, and the Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 40536-0084, USA.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barve
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joshi-Barve
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McClain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016328:NF-kappa B; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012709:Serum Albumin; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase