Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Apr 2011
Ethanol changes gene expression of transcription factors and cytokine production of CD4+ T-cell subsets in PBMCs stimulated with LPS.
Acute ethanol intoxication has the potential to alter immune reactivity by various pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate T-helper cell subsets transcription factors and cytokines in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following a single dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with or without ethanol exposure. ⋯ Alcohol interferes with the kinetics of Foxp3, RORγt, and T-bet gene expression and the production of TNF-α and IL-1ß and influences the balance of Treg/Th17 cells following LPS exposure.
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Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. · Apr 2011
Molecular profiles of drinking alcohol to intoxication in C57BL/6J mice.
Alcohol addiction develops through a series of stages, and mechanistic studies are needed to understand the transition from initial drug use to sustained controlled alcohol consumption followed by abuse and physical dependence. The focus of this study was to examine the effects of voluntary alcohol consumption on brain gene expression profiles using a mouse model of binge drinking. The main goal was to identify alcohol-responsive genes and functional categories after a single episode of drinking to intoxication. ⋯ This study showed that acute drinking resulted in small but consistent changes in brain gene expression which occurred in a dose-dependent manner. We identified both general and region-specific changes, some of which represent adaptive changes in response to increasing alcohol dose, which may play a role in alcohol-related behaviours, such as tolerance and consumption. Our systems approach allowed us to estimate the functional values of individual genes in the context of their genetic networks and formulate new refined hypotheses. An integrative analysis including other alcohol studies suggested several top candidates for functional validation, including Mt2, Gstm1, Scn4b, Prkcz, and Park7.