Aliphatic alcohol contaminants of illegally produced spirits inhibit phagocytosis by human granulocytes

Abstract

Due to their synergistic effects, it is possible that, in combination with ethanol, they may inhibit phagocytosis in a clinically meaningful way in episodic heavy drinkers.

What is the main source of human exposure to higher alcohols and is there a link to immunotoxicity?

“…According to Mann-Whitney test, the concentration of higher alcohols in unrecorded alcohol is significantly lower than in commercial alcohol (p50.0001). This is exactly the opposite than the assumption of Pál et al 1 In light that the consumption of recorded alcohol is larger than the one of unrecorded alcohol in most parts of the world, we conclude that recorded alcohol may be the ''main source of human exposure'' (to higher alcohols in particular, and aliphatic alcohols in general) rather than unrecorded alcohol. In fact, increased susceptibility to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV has been epidemiologically demonstrated to be related to levels of pure alcohol with no specificity for certain beverages [13][14][15] .…”

“…(2) The suggestion that unrecorded spirits are the main source of human exposure to these substances is incorrect. None of the references provided by Pál et al 1 demonstrate this point. On the contrary, our recent research about unrecorded alcohol has clearly invalidated this assumption 4-6 -and even alcohol industry-financed studies did not detect a substantial difference between unrecorded and commercial forms of alcohol with respect to higher alcohol concentration 7 .…”

“…While we have no general problem with the underlying research of Pál et al 1 , we think that the rationale for the research as well as the conclusions drawn from the results need rebuttal for several reasons: (1) Aliphatic alcohols are suggested as ''contaminants'', which suggests that the substances are not intentionally added, might imply a risk, and should be reduced as low as it can be reasonably achieved by following good manufacturing practices. This is certainly not the case, as the compounds are important for the flavor of most spirits when contained at certain levels (some spirits regulations even demand minimum contents) 2 .…”

“…To the Editor Pál et al 1 claim that the unrecorded production of spirits leads not only to products contaminated with appreciable levels of aliphatic alcohols but that it is also the main source of human exposure to these substances worldwide. In their research, a sub-group of aliphatic alcohols, namely methanol, ethanol and the higher alcohols 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2butanol, iso-butanol and isoamyl alcohol, were tested using human granulocytes in an in vitro assay.…”

Aliphatic alcohols in spirits inhibit phagocytosis by human monocytes

“…Although the consequences of the ethanol consumption are sufficient to cause concern for public health, less attention has been paid to the possible immunotoxic effects of the higher alcohols found in alcoholic beverages. We have previously shown that AAs can inhibit superoxide-anion production and phagocytosis by human granulocytes 34,35 . Still, it is important to know whether these alcohols can also decrease phagocytic activity of monocytes, as this could exacerbate the already-impaired anti-microbial defences in heavy drinkers.…”