Ethanol-Induced Alterations of T Cells and Cytokines after Surgery in a Murine Infection Model

Abstract

Background Interactions between alcohol, infection, and surgery and their effect on differentiation and functionality of T helper cells are not yet completely understood. We hypothesized that alcohol and surgery disturb differentiation of T helper cells and contribute to an impaired immune response. Methods Mice were treated with alcohol for two weeks. Saline treatment served as control. Clinical performance and weight were assessed. On day 14, a median laparotomy was performed and animals were challenged with Klebsiella pneumoniae intranasally. Bacterial load was determined in lungs and blood. T helper cell subpopulations and the released cytokines were assessed in lungs, spleens, and plasma. Key transcription factors of T cell differentiation were evaluated. Results Alcohol significantly impaired clinical appearance and body weight of animals with postsurgical infection (p < 0.05). Bacterial load was significantly higher after alcohol treatment (p < 0.05). T helper cell subsets and released cytokine levels were significantly altered in lung, but not in spleen. Expression of transcription factors of T helper cell lineage commitment did not translate into different counts of T helper cells. Conclusions Alcohol and surgery lead to significant cellular and functional modulations of T helper cells during postsurgical infection. These effects may contribute to an impaired immune response after surgery.

Alcohol‐Induced Interleukin‐17 Expression Causes Murine Lung Fibroblast‐to‐Myofibroblast Transdifferentiation via Thy‐1 Down‐Regulation

“…Consistent with these findings, other groups have found that IL‐17 expression is increased in serum from patients with alcoholic liver disease and that the level of IL‐17 correlates with the degree of liver fibrosis (Ma et al., ). Moreover, chronic alcohol ingestion increased lung‐specific Th17 development and IL‐17 expression in a postsurgical Klebsiella pneumoniae experimental model (Lanzke et al., ). Interestingly, in contrast to a daily chronic alcohol feeding model, there is a down‐regulation of IL‐17 expression 4 to 6 hours following alcohol ingestion in the lungs of mice in an alcohol binge model (Trevejo‐Nunez et al., ).…”