Cessation Of Ethanol Consumption Research Articles

Taurine Neuroprotection and Neurogenesis Effect in Chronic Ethanol-Induced Rats.

Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) is a non-protein β-amino acid essential for cellular homeostasis, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties that are crucial for life maintenance. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of taurine administration on hippocampal neurogenesis, neuronal preservation, or reverse damage in rats exposed to forced ethanol consumption in an animal model. Wistar rats were treated with ethanol (EtOH) for a 28-day period (5% in the 1st week, 10% in the 2nd week, and 20% in the 3rd and 4th weeks). Two taurine treatment protocols (300 mg/kg i.p.) were implemented: one during ethanol consumption to analyze neuroprotection, and another after ethanol consumption to assess the reversal of ethanol-induced damage. Overall, the results demonstrated that taurine treatment was effective in protecting against deficits induced by ethanol consumption in the dentate gyrus. The EtOH+TAU group showed a significant increase in cell proliferation (145.8%) and cell survival (54.0%) compared to the EtOH+Sal group. The results also indicated similar effects regarding the reversal of ethanol-induced damage 28 days after the cessation of ethanol consumption. The EtOH+TAU group exhibited a significant increase (41.3%) in the number of DCX-immunoreactive cells compared to the EtOH+Sal group. However, this amino acid did not induce neurogenesis in the tissues of healthy rats, implying that its activity may be contingent upon post-injury stimuli.

Effect of original anticonvulsant meta-chloro-benzhydryl-urea on behavioral and immune parameters in mice with active and passive behavior types in experimental alcoholism

ObjectiveViolation of the functional activity of the nervous and immune systems is an essential link in the pathogenesis of chronic alcohol dependence. The search for new psychopharmacological agents whose action is directed to correction of neuroimmune interaction opens new perspectives for the treatment of alcohol dependence.Methods(CBAxC57Bl/6) F1 mice with active and passive behavioral types in a state of chronic alcohol dependence owing to 6 month 10% ethanol exposure were undergoing intragastric administration of original anticonvulsant meta-chloro-benzhydryl-urea. Animal's behavioral and immune parameters, brain cytokines synthesis before and after anticonvulsant receiving were estimated.ResultsIn the formation of experimental alcohol dependence in animals the most pronounced changes in motor and exploratory activities in open field test, brain cytokines synthesis and suppression of immune response were registered in mice with passive type of behavior. Daily consumption of ethanol solution in mice with chronic alcohol dependence decreased sharply starting from 2 days of anticonvulsant administration and led to the cessation of ethanol consumption by the 5 day. After anticonvulsant administration for 10 days behavioral parameters in mice were comparable with those in the control group of healthy animals. It also restored brain cytokines synthesis and significant stimulated humoral immune response, estimated by the relative number of antibody-forming spleen cells.ConclusionBehavior and immune changes following chronic ethanol exposure depended on the behavior status of animals; administration of the original anticonvulsant meta-chloro-benzhydryl-urea may correct both immune and behavior disorders in mice with chronic alcohol dependence, so it has promise in the treatment of alcoholism.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Acute and chronic ethanol consumption differentially impact pathways limiting hepatic protein synthesis

This review identifies the various pathways responsible for modulating hepatic protein synthesis following acute and chronic alcohol intoxication and describes the mechanism(s) responsible for these changes. Alcohol intoxication induces a defect in global protein synthetic rates that is localized to impaired translation of mRNA at the level of peptide-chain initiation. Translation initiation is regulated at two steps: formation of the 43S preinitiation complex [controlled by eukaryotic initiation factors 2 (eIF2) and 2B (eIF2B)] and the binding of mRNA to the 40S ribosome (controlled by the eIF4F complex). To date, alcohol-induced alterations in eIF2 and eIF2B content and activity are best investigated. Ethanol decreases eIF2B activity when ingested either acutely or chronically. The reduced eIF2B activity most likely is a consequence of twofold increased phosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of eIF2 on Ser(51) following acute intoxication. The increase in eIF2alpha phosphorylation after chronic alcohol consumption is the same as that induced by acute ethanol intoxication, and protein synthesis is not further reduced by long-term alcohol ingestion despite additional reduced expression of initiation factors and elongation factors. eIF2alpha phosphorylation alone appears sufficient to maximally inhibit hepatic protein synthesis. Indeed, pretreatment with Salubrinal, an inhibitor of eIF2alpha(P) phosphatase, before ethanol treatment does not further inhibit protein synthesis or increase eIF2alpha phosphorylation, suggesting that acute ethanol intoxication causes maximal eIF2alpha phosphorylation elevation and hepatic protein synthesis inhibition. Ethanol-induced inhibition of hepatic protein synthesis is not rapidly reversed by cessation of ethanol consumption. In conclusion, sustained eIF2alpha phosphorylation is a hallmark of excessive alcohol intake leading to inhibition of protein synthesis. Enhanced phosphorylation of eIF2alpha represents a unique response of liver to alcohol intoxication, because the ethanol-induced elevation of eIF2alpha(P) is not observed in skeletal muscle or heart.

Chronic daily ethanol and withdrawal: 5. Diurnal effects on plasma thyroid hormone levels.

We previously demonstrated that chronic daily ethanol consumption and daily withdrawal by male rats in a modified ethanol liquid diet paradigm produced (a) chronically increased adrenal glucocorticoid activity; (b) decreased plasma testosterone; (c) decreased forebrain proopiomelanocortin gene expression; and (d) corresponding alterations in plasma leptin levels-all of which are consistent with reported changes during alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Each of these systems interact with hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) regulation, and links between chronic alcohol abuse and thyroid dysfunction have been suggested by both human and rat studies. Accordingly, we have begun to investigate potential HPT mediation of, or response to, alterations in these systems by investigating plasma thyroid hormone levels in the same chronic daily ethanol/ withdrawal paradigm. Chronic daily episodes of ethanol consumption and withdrawal by male Sprague- Dawley rats decreased plasma levels of free (non-protein- bound) triiodothyronine (T3) (p < 0.01) and free thyroxine (T4) (p < 0.05) in the morning but not in the afternoon, relative to both ad libitum-fed and pair-fed controls (n = 9/treatment). Plasma total T4 levels were likewise suppressed (p < 0.01) in the morning, whereas total T3 levels were increased (p < 0.05) in the afternoon. These changes eliminated normal diurnal patterns (higher in the morning) of plasma free T3, free T4, and total T3 concentrations. Three weeks after cessation of ethanol consumption, morning plasma levels of free and total T3 and T4, as well as plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), were all not significantly changed by the prior ethanol consumption or pair-feeding. These results reveal that plasma thyroid hormone concentrations are suppressed in a time of day dependent manner by chronic daily ethanol consumption and daily withdrawal in this model of chronic ethanol abuse. During subsequent long-term "abstinence," these thyroid hormones returned to control levels. These results are consistent with evidence that thyroid function is commonly diminished in alcoholism, with variable reports of recovery during abstinence. Further investigations with this rat model of daily ethanol consumption and daily withdrawal will help resolve interactions and roles of the HPT axis in alcohol abuse.