Cell-Specific Effects of Ethanol on Nitric Oxide Synthase Induced by Inflammatory Mediators

To examine the pro- and anti-oxidant properties of nitric oxide (NO) production in alcoholic liver disease, we compared the effects of ethanol pretreatment (24 hrs, 100 mM concentration in a dedicated CO2 incubator) on the induction of inducible NO synthase and its activity in a cell culture system. We employed two types of liver cells as models for the intact liver parenchyma: the rat hepatoma cell FTO2B and rat hepatocytes in primary culture. Cells were incubated with a combination of cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-β) and LPS in the presence or absence of (85 - 93 mM) ethanol in the culture media. At series of time intervals, production of nitric oxide was measured as the accumulation of nitrite and nitrate, using Griess assay. The results revealed that 1) total NO formation was attenuated by ethanol in hepatocytes (ca. 50%) but augmented in FTO2B cells (ca. 37%) and 2) both pretreatment and co-treatment with ethanol were necessary for maximal ethanol effect. These results indicate that the effects of ethanol on inflammatory processes, such as induction of NO synthesis, are cell-type specific.

Does Ethanol Play a Pro-Oxidant Role during Oxidative Stress in the Liver?

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of liver injury during xenobiotic and alcohol metabolism, ischemia/reperfusion injury. In this study we examined if ethanol acted as a pro-oxidant making cells become more sensitive to tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBH) killing. Cell viability was determined in a rat hepatoma cell line (FTO2B) and rat primary hepatocytes in culture in the presence or absence of ethanol pretreatment. To elucidate the contribution of labile iron, deferoxamine (DF, an iron chelator) or lipid free radicals, N,N-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD, a lipid scavenger) were added to the ethanol tBH co-treatment. The levels of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) in the hepatocytes were also measured. Ethanol treatment (both pretreatment and co-treatment during the 3-hr tBH exposure) increased cell killing dramatically in both FTO2B cells and primary rat hepatocytes. Both DF and DPPD decreased ethanol-enhanced tBH cell killing in hepatocytes. These results demonstrated that co-treatment of FTO2B cells and primary rat hepatocytes with ethanol and tBH increased cell killing. The GSH level was dramatically reduced while GSSG level rose. Both DFP and DPPD reversed or protected the cells from this insult, indicating that ethanol was a pro-oxidant.