title: Alcohol increases tumor necrosis factor alpha and decreases nuclear factor-kappab to activate hepatic apoptosis in genetically obese mice.
abstract: Both obesity and alcohol can cause oxidative stress, cytokine induction, and steatohepatitis. To determine the consequences of their combination, we compared the hepatic effects of moderate ethanol binges in lean and obese ob/ob mice. Mice received water or ethanol (2.5 g/kg) by gastric intubation daily for 4 days, and were killed 2 hours after the last administration. Some obese mice also received pentoxifylline, an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production, before each ethanol administration. In lean mice, these moderate ethanol doses did not increase plasma TNF-alpha and hepatic caspase-3 activity, but triggered some apoptotic hepatocytes. Naive ob/ob mice had a few necrotic and apoptotic hepatocytes, but exhibited little oxidative stress, possibly because of adaptive increases in manganese superoxide dismutase, heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), mitochondrial cytochrome c, and mitochondrial DNA. Alcohol administration to ob/ob mice did not increase oxidative stress despite increased CYP2E1, but increased plasma TNF-alpha, further increased Hsp70, and profoundly decreased p65 nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) protein and DNA-binding activity in nuclear extracts. Caspase-3 was activated, and more apoptotic hepatocytes were found in intoxicated obese mice than naive obese mice. In intoxicated obese mice, pentoxifylline fully prevented the increase in plasma TNF-alpha the decrease in nuclear NF-kappaB activity, and the increase in hepatic caspase-3, and it also decreased hepatic triglycerides. In conclusion, obese mice develop adaptations that may limit oxidative stress. Moderate ethanol intoxication does not increase oxidative stress in obese mice, but increases TNF-alpha and also decreases nuclear NF-kappaB activity, thus unleashing the apoptotic effects of TNF-alpha.
authors.affiliation: INSERM Unité 481, Faculté de Médecine Xavier Bichat, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Robin
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Demeilliers
authors.forename: Angéla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paradis
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maisonneuve
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Poirel
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lettéron
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pessayre
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fromenty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008820:Mice, Obese; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D016328:NF-kappa B; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000431:Ethanol; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D005978:Glutathione