Submit a Letter to the Editor for:
F Holguin, I Moss, L A Brown, D M Guidot
J Clin Invest. 1998;
101(4):761
doi:10.1172/JCI1396
Abstract |
Full text
|
PDF
C
hronic alcohol abuse increases the incidence and mortality of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in septic patients. To examine a potential mechanism, we hypothesized that ethanol ingestion predisposes to sepsis-mediated acute lung injury by decreasing alveolar type II cell glutathione homeostasis and function. Lungs isolated from rats fed ethanol (20% in water for >/= 3 wk), compared with lungs from control-fed rats, had greater (P < 0. 05) edematous injury (reflected by nonhydrostatic weight gain) after endotoxin (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and subsequent perfusion ex vivo with n-formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP, 10(-7) M). Ethanol ingestion decreased (P < 0.05) glutathione levels in the plasma, lung tissue, and lung lavage fluid, and increased (P < 0.05) oxidized glutathione levels in the lung lavage fluid. Furthermore, ethanol ingestion decreased type II cell glutathione content by 95% (P < 0.05), decreased (P < 0.05) type II cell surfactant synthesis and secretion, and decreased (P < 0.05) type II cell viability, in vitro. Finally, treatment with the glutathione precursors S-adenosyl-L-methionine and N-acetylcysteine in the final week of ethanol ingestion significantly reduced lung edema during perfusion ex vivo. We conclude that ethanol ingestion in rats alters alveolar type II cell glutathione levels and function, thereby predisposing the lung to acute edematous injury after endotoxemia. We speculate that chronic alcohol abuse in humans predisposes to ARDS through similar mechanisms.
Guidelines:
The Editorial Board will only consider letters that we deem relevant and of interest to our readers. We will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review, nor will we post letters that are essentially a reiteration of another letter. All accepted letters will be posted on our website within one week of acceptance. The Editors reserve the right to edit any letter for length, content, and clarity. Authors of all accepted letters will be asked to preview any changes. Authors will be notified by e-mail if their letters were not accepted. As this is a final decision, no appeals will be considered.
Specific requirements: All letters must be 400 words or fewer. You may enter the letter as plain text or HTML, if you wish. The author's name and e-mail address are required, and will be posted with the letter. All possible conflicts of interest must be noted, even if they are not posted. If you wish to include a figure (keep in mind that non-peer-reviewed data will not be posted), please contact the editor directly at editors@the-jci.org.
