TNF-α and IL-6 serum levels: neurobiological markers of alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent patients?

Abstract

We investigated the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in 30 male alcohol-dependent patients during withdrawal (day 1, 7, and 14) and compared them with the levels obtained from 18 healthy male controls. IL-6 (day 1: T = 2,593, p = 0.013; day 7: T = 2,315, p = 0.037; day 14: T = 1,650, p = 0.112) serum levels were significantly increased at the beginning of alcohol withdrawal. TNF-α (T = 3,202, p = 0.03) serum levels were significantly elevated in the patients' group during the whole period of withdrawal. IL-6 serum levels decreased significantly during withdrawal (F = 16.507, p < 0.001), whereas TNF-α levels did not change significantly (day 1-14). IL-6 serum levels were directly associated with alcohol consumption (r = 0.392, p = 0.047) on day 1. Moreover, the IL-6 serum levels were associated with alcohol craving (PACS total score day 1: r = -0.417, p = 0.022, the score of the obsessive subscale of the OCDS on day 14 [r = -0.549, p = 0.022]), depression (r = -0.507, p = 0.005), and trait anxiety (r = -0.674, p < 0.001) on day 1. We found an association with the duration of active drinking following the last period of abstinence and the TNF-α serum levels (day 1:r = 0.354, p = 0.009; day 7: r = 0.323, p = 0.022; day 14: r = 0.303, p = 0.034) as well as an association with the severity of alcohol dependence measured by the SESA scale (r = 0.454, p = 0.015). Moreover, we found a significant association between the BDNF serum levels and the TNF-α serum levels (r = -0.426, p = 0.021). Our results support an association between alterations in TNF-α and IL-6 serum levels and alcohol consumption.

• Authors: Annemarie Heberlein, Marius Käser, Ralf Lichtinghagen, Mathias Rhein, Bernd Lenz, Johannes Kornhuber, Stefan Bleich, Thomas Hillemacher
• Journal: Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) (Alcohol) Vol. 48 Issue 7 Pg. 671-6 (Nov 2014) ISSN: 1873-6823 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25262503 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Biomarkers
• Interleukin-6
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Adult
• Alcohol Abstinence (psychology)
• Alcohol Drinking (blood)
• Alcoholism (blood)
• Biomarkers (blood)
• Case-Control Studies
• Humans
• Interleukin-6 (blood)
• Male
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (blood)