Journal of leukocyte biology
-
Previous studies have shown that alcohol (EtOH) ingestion before burn injury impaired intestinal barrier and immune function. This study determined whether EtOH and burn injury up-regulate interleukin (IL)-18 and whether IL-18 up-regulation following EtOH and burn injury is a cause for neutrophil recruitment and increased intestinal edema. Rats (250 g) were gavaged with EtOH to achieve a blood EtOH level in the range of 100 mg/dL prior to burn or sham injury (25% total body surface area). ⋯ Treatment of rats with caspase-1 inhibitor significantly attenuated the increase in IL-18 levels and intestinal MPO activity in EtOH and burn-injured rats. Inhibition of IL-18 also prevented an increase in intestinal tissue water content. As MPO is considered an index of neutrophil infiltration, results presented in this manuscript collectively suggest that IL-18 up-regulation is likely to contribute to the increased neutrophil infiltration and edema in intestinal tissue observed following EtOH and burn injury.