Author/Editor		Šarc, Lucija; Wraber, Branka; Lipnik-Štangelj, Metoda
Title		Ethanol and acetaldehyde disturb TNF-alpha and IL-6 production in cultured astrocytes
Type		članek
Source		Hum Exp Toxicol
Vol. and No.		Letnik 30, št. 9
Publication year		2011
Volume		str. 1256-5
Language		eng
Abstract		Ethanol disturbs astroglial growth and differentiation and causes functional alterations. Furthermore, many signalling molecules produced by astrocytes contribute to these processes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of ethanol and its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde, on TNF-alpha and IL-6 production in a rat cortical astrocyte primary culture. We are the first to report that both ethanol and acetaldehyde can modulate TNF-alpha and IL-6 secretion from cultured astrocytes. Long-term exposure (7 days) to ethanol and acetaldehyde was more toxic than an acute (24 hours) exposure. However, both compounds showed a biphasic, hormestic effect on the IL-6 secretion after the acute as well as the long-term exposure, and the maximum stimulation was reached for 50-mM ethanol and 1-mM acetaldehyde after 7-day exposure. In contrast, both compounds reduced the TNF-alpha secretion, where the effect was concentration-dependent. The catalase inhibitor 2-amino- 1,2,4 triazole significantly reduced the ethanol toxicity in the cultured astrocytes after the acute as well as the long-term exposure. In conclusion, both ethanol and acetaldehyde affect the production of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in cultured astrocytes. The effect depends on the concentration of the compounds and the duration of the exposure. Acetaldehyde is a more potent toxin than ethanol, and ethanol's toxicity in the brain is at least partially due to its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde.
Descriptors		ASTROCYTES ALCOHOL, ETHYL ACETALDEHYDE TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR INTERLEUKIN-6 CELL SURVIVAL ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE CELLS, CULTURED RATS, WISTAR