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Objective: Trauma is the most common cause of death among young adults. Alcohol intoxication plays a significant role as a cause of accidents and as a potent immunomodulator of the post-traumatic response to tissue injury. Polytraumatized patients are frequently at risk to developing infectious complications, which may be aggravated by alcohol-induced immunosuppression. Systemic levels of integral proteins of the gastrointestinal tract such as syndecan-1 or intestinal fatty acid binding proteins (FABP-I) reflect the intestinal barrier function. The exact impact of acute alcohol intoxication on the barrier function and endotoxin bioactivity have not been clarified yet. Methods: 22 healthy volunteers received a precisely defined amount of alcohol (whiskey–cola) every 20 min over a period of 4 h to reach the calculated blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 1‰. Blood samples were taken before alcohol drinking as a control, and after 2, 4, 6, 24 and 48 h after beginning with alcohol consumption. In addition, urine samples were collected. Intestinal permeability was determined by serum and urine values of FABP-I, syndecan-1, and soluble (s)CD14 as a marker for the endotoxin translocation via the intestinal barrier by ELISA. BAC was determined. Results: Systemic FABP-I was significantly reduced 2 h after the onset of alcohol drinking, and remained decreased after 4 h. However, at 6 h, FABP-I significantly elevated compared to previous measurements as well as to controls (p < 0.05). Systemic sCD14 was significantly elevated after 6, 24 and 48 h after the onset of alcohol consumption (p < 0.05). Systemic FABP-I at 2 h after drinking significantly correlated with the sCD14 concentration after 24 h indicating an enhanced systemic LPS bioactivity. Women showed significantly lower levels of syndecan-1 in serum and urine and urine for all time points until 6 h and lower FABP-I in the serum after 2 h. Conclusions: Even relative low amounts of alcohol affect the immune system of healthy volunteers, although these changes appear minor in women. A potential damage to the intestinal barrier and presumed enhanced systemic endotoxin bioactivity after acute alcohol consumption is proposed, which represents a continuous immunological challenge for the organism and should be considered for the following days after drinking.
Background: Alcohol drinking is associated with a serious risk of developing health problems as well as with a large number of traumatic injuries. Although chronic alcohol misuse is known to contribute to severe inflammatory complications, the effects of an acute alcohol misuse are still unclear. Here, the impact of acute alcohol drinking on leukocyte counts and their cellular functions were studied.
Methods: Twenty-two healthy volunteers (12 female, 10 male) received a predefined amount of a whiskey-cola mixed drink (40% v/v), at intervals of 20 min, over 4 h to achieve a blood alcohol concentration of 1‰. Blood samples were taken before drinking T0, 2 h (T2), 4 h (T4), 6 h (T6), 24 h (T24) and 48 h (T48) after starting drinking alcohol. Leukocytes, monocytes and granulocyte counts and their functions regarding the production of reactive oxidative species (ROS), phagocytosis and apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry.
Results: Total leukocyte counts significantly increased at T2 and T4, while granulocyte and monocyte counts decreased at T4 and T6 vs. T0. Monocytes increased significantly at T24 and T48 vs. T0. While the total number of ROS-producing leukocytes and notably granulocytes significantly increased, in parallel, the intracellular ROS intensity decreased at T2 and T6. The numbers of ROS-positive monocytes have shown a delayed modulation of ROS, with a significant reduction in the total number of ROS-producing cells at T48 and a significantly reduced intracellular ROS-intensity at T24. Phagocyting capacity of leukocytes significantly decreased at T4 and T6. In general leukocytes, and notably granulocytes demonstrated significantly increased early (T2), while monocyte exerted significantly increased late apoptosis (T24 and T48).
Conclusions: Alcohol drinking immediately impacts leukocyte functions, while the impact on monocytes occurs at even later time points. Thus, even in young healthy subjects, alcohol drinking induces immunological changes that are associated with diminished functions of innate immune cells that persist for days.