title: Effects of ethanol on immune response in the brain: region-specific changes in aged mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alcohol abuse has dramatic effects on the health of the elderly. Recent studies indicate that ethanol increases immune activity in younger animals and that some of these proinflammatory molecules alter alcohol consumption and addiction. However, the effects of alcohol on immune activation in aged animals have not been thoroughly investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We compared the effects of ethanol on chemokine and cytokine expression in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex of aged C57BL/6 mice. Mice were treated via gavage with 6 g/kg ethanol for 10 days and tissue was harvested 1 day post-treatment. Ethanol selectively increased mRNA levels of the chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2/monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in the hippocampus and cerebellum, but not in the cortex of aged mice relative to control animals. In this paradigm, ethanol did not affect mRNA levels of the cytokines IL-6 or TNF-α in any of these brain regions in aged animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Collectively, these data indicate a region-specific susceptibility to ethanol regulation of neuroinflammatory and addiction-related molecules in aged mice. These studies could have important implications concerning alcohol-induced neuropathology and alcohol addiction in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia J M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kane
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Phelan
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wagoner
authors.forename: Jennifer Walker
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jihong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Drew
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007109:Immunity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D000431:Ethanol; D012313:RNA