Abstract
Alcohol-related disorders (ARD) are highly prevalent among Latin American-Caribbean countries. Mental disorders are common comorbidities in individuals with ARD. However, the etiology of the association between ARD and mental disorders remains unclear. We examined the association of inflammatory cytokines, microbiome, and other biomakers with measures of depression, social anxiety, and executive functions. We observed a significant increase in cytokine and chemokine expression levels in saliva and plasma in the alcohol group (AG) samples. Also, the salivary bacterial composition in the AG revealed an abundance of Prevotella. Depression symptomatology was markedly higher in the AG, but social anxiety levels were negligible. AG also exhibited executive dysfunctions, which negatively correlated with increased plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased salivary concentrations of Prevotella bacteria. Our study suggests that chronic alcohol use correlates with executive dysfunction, immune system dysregulation, and dysbiosis of the salivary microbiota. Additional studies are needed to understand the role of the microbiome and inflammation in alcohol use and mental comorbidities.
Highlights
Alcohol drinking is an important social activity in Latin American-Caribbean (LAC) culture; as a result, alcohol-related disorders (ARD) are highly prevalent among LAC countries [1,2,3]
There was a higher number of participants in the alcohol group (AG) who reported smoking as compared to the control group (CG) (63.3% vs. 10.0% in CG)
Regardless, there have been studies that have found that alcohol consumption increases IL-13 signaling in airways [70,71]
Summary
Alcohol drinking is an important social activity in Latin American-Caribbean (LAC) culture; as a result, alcohol-related disorders (ARD) are highly prevalent among LAC countries [1,2,3]. A 2008 survey conducted in the Puerto Rican population aged 15–74 years reflected that 76.8% had used alcohol at least once during the individual’s lifetime, and 48.8% reported using alcohol in previous. 12.1% of the participants reported suffering from alcohol abuse and 4.8% had alcohol dependence. A 2012 survey conducted with licensed drivers aged 16 years and older revealed that 22% of the participants admitted having driven a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol. 33% of driving fatalities reported in Puerto Rico in 2016 were attributed to alcohol use; 66% of them presented a speeding factor [5].
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