Abstract
Many studies have suggested possible relationships between the neurotrophins brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) and alcohol addiction. Previous reports demonstrated severe changes in these neurotrophins in the serum of alcohol dependent patients and during withdrawal. Alcohol dependence syndromes during consumption and/or withdrawal are also characterized by elevated oxidative stress. Polyphenols, including olive polyphenols, are natural compounds known to possess marked antioxidant properties. Thus, this study was carried out in order to verify the effects of a blend of olive polyphenols supplementation containing mostly hydroxytyrosol (50 mg/day for 15 consecutive days) in alcoholic men during withdrawal on serum BDNF and NGF. As controls a group of alcohol dependent patients received sucrose tablets as placebo. BDNF and NGF were measured by ELISA on day 1, 3, 7 and 15 of the detoxification period. Some parameters of oxidative stress were analyzed too as free oxygen radicals defense (FORD) and free oxygen radicals test (FORT). No differences in oxidative status due to polyphenols were found. However, withdrawal elicited a mild increase in BDNF over two weeks that was counteracted on day 3 by polyphenols. As for NGF no effects of polyphenols supplementation were discovered to antagonize the expected NGF serum elevation during withdrawal. In conclusion the present data may indicate that monitoring serum BDNF and/or NGF in alcoholics undergoing detoxification could contribute to characterize alcohol dependence profiles to improve recovery processes throughout also antioxidant compounds.
Highlights
Prolonged alcohol consumption and withdrawal following chronic or prenatal [1,2] alcohol intake causes various kinds of tissue damage; this results from increased cell death or decreased cell proliferation in several regions of the brain and other target organs of ethanol intoxication [3,4,5,6]
No differences between groups due to withdrawal or polyphenols supplementation in alcoholics were found in free oxygen radicals defense (FORD) and Fort parameters in alcoholics
As for both pro-Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and pro-nerve growth factor (NGF), western blot analyses showed the presence of the pro-BDNF band at 35 kDa and of the pro-NGF band at 32 kDa. Since both pro-BDNF/NGF expressions were highly variable between subjects, ANOVA did not detect significant differences between groups due to polyphenols supplementation or withdrawal throughout the test. This is the first study to demonstrate that administration of olive polyphenols in alcoholics undergoing withdrawal may modulate serum BDNF with a decrease
Summary
Prolonged alcohol consumption and withdrawal following chronic or prenatal [1,2] alcohol intake causes various kinds of tissue damage; this results from increased cell death or decreased cell proliferation in several regions of the brain and other target organs of ethanol intoxication [3,4,5,6]. NGF and BDNF have a role in regulating stress related events [17,18,19]. In particular some studies have shown serum BDNF/NGF modifications in human following alcohol related diseases including potentiated BDNF/NGF values during withdrawal [24,25,26,27,28]. The ability of alcohol to promote oxidative stress and the role of free radicals in alcohol–induced tissue injury [29,30,31] clearly are important areas of research in the alcohol field, because such information may be of major therapeutic significance in attempts to prevent or ameliorate alcohol’s toxic effects. We sought to investigate whether or not olive polyphenols supplementation in alcoholic patients undergoing withdrawal could modulate serum BDNF and/or NGF measured by an immunoenzymatic assay. Some parameters of oxidative stress were analyzed too as free oxygen radicals defense (FORD) and free oxygen radicals test (FORT)
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