Effects of Ethanol on NF-kB Activation, Production of Myeloid Growth Factors, and Adhesive Events in Human Endothelial Cells

Because neutropenia may aggravate infections in alcoholics, effects of ethanol on the gen-eration of myeloid growth factors by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and on interactions with neutrophils were examined in vitro. Exposure of HUVECs to ethanol (0.01%–1%) dose-dependently inhibited (by 12%–27%) the release of stem cell factor, granu-locyte-macrophage and granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), or interleukin (IL)–8, but not of macrophage CSF triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or IL-1. Ethanol also inhibited the LPS-induced increase in HUVECs to bind neutrophils by 28 % (without affecting the expression of intracellular adhesion molecule–1 and E-selectin) and inhibited the trans-location of the p65 subunit of NF-kB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus by 46%. Thus, exposure of HUVECs to ethanol inhibited the generation of cytokines important for myeloid cell development and reduced the adhesiveness of HUVECs for neutrophils: effects that are pos-sibly linked to the reduced activation of NF-kB. Ethanol abuse impairs host defense against microorganisms [1]. Many studies have demonstrated an association between al-coholism and pulmonary infections, such as those caused b