title: Long-term ethanol intoxication reduces inflammatory responses in rats.
abstract: The anti-inflammatory effects of long-term ethanol intoxication were determined during ethanol treatment and withdrawal on the basis of neutrophil and eosinophil migration, hind paw edema and mast cell degranulation. Male Wistar rats (180-200 g, around 2 months of age) were exposed to increasing concentrations of ethanol vapor over a 10-day period. One group was evaluated immediately after exposure (treated group - intoxicated), and another was studied 7 h later (withdrawal group). Ethanol inhalation treatment significantly inhibited carrageenan--(62% for the intoxicated group, N = 5, and 35% for the withdrawal group, N = 6) and dextran-induced paw edema (32% for intoxicated rats and 26% for withdrawal rats, N = 5 per group). Ethanol inhalation significantly reduced carrageenan-induced neutrophil migration (95% for intoxicated rats and 41% for withdrawn rats, N = 6 per group) into a subcutaneous 6-day-old air pouch, and Sephadex-induced eosinophil migration to the rat peritoneal cavity (100% for intoxicated rats and 64% for withdrawn rats, N = 6 per group). A significant decrease of mast cell degranulation was also demonstrated (control, 82%; intoxicated, 49%; withdrawn, 51%, N = 6, 6 and 8, respectively). Total leukocyte and neutrophil counts in venous blood increased significantly during the 10 days of ethanol inhalation (leukocytes, 13, 27 and 40%; neutrophils, 42, 238 and 252%, respectively, on days 5, 9 and 10, N = 7, 6 and 6). The cell counts decreased during withdrawal, but were still significantly elevated (leukocytes, 10%; neutrophils, 246%, N = 6). These findings indicate that both the cellular and vascular components of the inflammatory response are compromised by long-term ethanol intoxication and remain reduced during the withdrawal period.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: G A C
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Brito
authors.forename: B B G P
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Pessoa
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Capaz
mesh_terms: D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D002351:Carrageenan; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003911:Dextrans; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004487:Edema / Q000276:immunology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D000431:Ethanol; D002351:Carrageenan