Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Jan 2002
Alcohol consumption attenuates febrile responses to lipopolysaccharide and interleukin-1 beta in male rats.
Chronic and acute alcohol use exert profound modulatory effects on the immune system which manifest as impaired host defense against infections. An important feature of this response is the interaction between the immune and the central nervous systems. This study investigated the effects of 14 days of alcohol exposure on cytokine-mediated neuroimmune interactions that affect the febrile component of the host-defense response. ⋯ The attenuated LPS- and IL-1beta-induced febrile responses in EtOH-consuming rats and the corresponding deficit in hypothalamic production of IL-1beta suggest that alcohol may impair IL-1beta-mediated neuroimmune communication.