title: Atherosclerosis amelioration by moderate alcohol consumption is associated with increased circulating levels of stromal cell-derived factor-1.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A moderate intake of alcohol is associated with lower cardiovascular mortality, and the role of circulating progenitor cells in the beneficial effect of alcohol on atherosclerosis is unclear. The hypothesis of this study was that alcohol ameliorates atherosclerosis by modulating the circulating levels of stromal cell-derived growth factor (SDF)-1 and vascular progenitor cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Atherosclerosis was induced by infusion of angiotensin II in apolipoprotein-E deficient mice, which were treated with high and low doses of ethanol for 28 days by intraperitoneal injection. Mice treated with low-dose ethanol had significantly less dilatation and fewer atheromatous lesions than mice receiving the high-dose ethanol. The number of circulating fibrocytes was significantly lower in mice treated with high-dose ethanol compared with mice with atherosclerosis untreated with ethanol. The plasma CXCL12/SDF-1 level was significantly increased in mice treated with low-dose ethanol compared with mice treated with a high dose, and the plasma concentration of transforming growth factor-β1 was significantly increased in mice treated with high-dose ethanol compared with control mice. Ethanol regulated the secretion of SDF-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor from fibroblasts in a dose-dependent and bimodal fashion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The circulating level of CXCL12/SDF-1 may be involved, at least in part, in the differential effects of alcohol consumption on atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gil-Bernabe
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Boveda-Ruiz
authors.forename: Corina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro-Gabazza
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Rumi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mifuji-Moroka
authors.forename: Motoh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwasa
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morser
authors.forename: Esteban C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Gabazza
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takei
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12 / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D054377:Chemokine CXCL12; C515256:Cxcl12 protein, mouse; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C467480:vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse; D000431:Ethanol