culosis, hepatitis, and the human immunodeficiency virus/ This study tested the hypothesis that prolonged conacquired immune deficiency syndrome. Paradoxically, sumption of alcohol directly or indirectly, through endochronic alcohol intoxication may activate some aspects of nontoxin influx in the circulation, stimulates the Kupffer specific immune defense mechanisms that could initiate hecells to produce macrophage inflammatory protein-2 patic injury and liver diseases in susceptible individuals. For (MIP 2 ) and up-regulates the expression of adhesion molexample, production of proinflammatory cytokines and cheecules, i.e., CD18 on PMNs and its counter-receptor, inmokine is enhanced following alcohol consumption and in tercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), on hepatic individuals with alcoholic liver disease. 1-3 It has also been cells. As a result, enhanced sequestration and cell-cell widely accepted that leukocyte infiltration of the liver is a interaction among these cell types may occur in the common feature of both alcoholic hepatitis and alcoholic cirliver, which in turn could result in altered hepatic function and hepatotoxicity. This hypothesis was tested in rhosis. These are major hepatic disorders associated with alcohol-fed, specific pathogen-free, male Sprague-Daw-excessive alcohol consumption. 4 Enhanced infiltration of inley rats. After 16 weeks of feeding, endotoxin (0.2 { 0.043 flammatory polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into the EU/mL) and MIP 2 (625 { 100 pg/mL) were detected in liver during chronic alcohol intoxication is expected to conthe sera of alcoholic rats but not in the pair-fed rats. tribute to this phenomenon. The mechanism by which alcohol Concomitantly, serum aspartate transaminase (AST) ac-enhances the migration of PMNs into the liver may be associtivity was significantly increased. Small lipid deposition ated with ethanol-mediated alteration in the expression of and inflammatory-like changes in the liver were also ob-leukocyte cell surface receptors that promote migration of served. Isolated Kupffer cells from alcohol-fed rats re-PMNs to the sites of inflammation. [4][5][6] It has been shown that leased large amount of MIP 2 (ú600 pg/10 6 Kupffer cells/ b 2 -integrin (CD18) expression on PMNs of chronic alcoholic 24 hr) in vitro compared with Kupffer cells from pair-rats is increased after 16 weeks of ethanol feeding. 6 It has fed rats (õ150 pg/10 6 Kupffer cells/24 hr). At the same also been demonstrated that there is increased hepatic setime, the expression of CD18 and ICAM-1 on polymor-questration of PMNs in chronically alcoholic rats. 7 This is phonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and hepatic cells was accompanied by low-level endotoxemia and priming of heincreased more than twofold. Monoclonal antibody 1F12, patic phagocytes for enhanced f-met-leu-phe-mediated suan anti-CD18 antibody, attenuated hepatic injury in peroxide release. 7 In endotoxemia, it has been demonstrated vivo, and in PMN-hepatocyte coculture in vitro in the that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) e...