Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology

Effects of naltrexone on cytokine levels of rats with estrogen deficit and chronic alcohol intake

3^rd World Congress on Pharmacology

August 08-10, 2016 Birmingham, UK

Miroslava Varadinova and Nadka Boyadjieva

Medical University, Bulgaria

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Clin Exp Pharmacol

Abstract:

It has been shown that chronic alcohol consumption decreases NK cell cytolytic activity and the production of various cytokines in rats. Furthermore, the experimental results demonstrate that naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, may prevent the suppressive effect of alcohol on immune functions. Recent data suggest that estrogen deficit in female rats can exacerbate the adverse effects of alcohol on immune functions. The present study investigated the effects of alcohol and naltrexone on immune functions of ovariectomized (OVX) rats. OVX rats were pair-fed an isocaloric liquid diet or fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet for a period of 4 weeks. These rats were additionally treated after a week with naltrexone (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) for 3 weeks. Serum levels of interleukin (IL-6) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our results showed that chronic ethanol consumption significantly decreased IFN-gamma levels. Interestingly, the IL-6 levels of the experimental animals treated with alcohol were also decreased. The administration of naltrexone increased serum levels of IL-6 and IFN-gamma. These results suggested that naltrexone treatment modulated the effects of alcohol on cytokine production in OVX rats. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of naltrexone on immune functions in patients with estrogen deficit and chronic alcohol intake.

Biography :

Email: miria@abv.bg