Binge drinking may alter immune system response to orthopedic injury

The body’s immune system response to orthopedic injury may be altered by the binge drinking of alcohol, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

“This tremendously complicates the trauma care of these patients,” senior author John Callaci, PhD, stated in a Loyola University Health System release.

Indications of pulmonary edema

The investigators from Loyola University Medical Center administered intraperitoneal injections of either saline solution or alcohol into 92 rats, which then underwent either a sham procedure or bilateral femoral intramedullary pinning and mid-diaphyseal closed fracture via blunt guillotine. The team then sacrificed the rats following the injury, collecting serum and lung tissue. These samples were used to analyze 25 inflammatory markers through immunoassay.

According to the study abstract, rats that underwent binge alcohol treatment prior to their injury saw a significantly suppressed increase in serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, white blood cells, IL-2, IL-10, and C-reactive protein following the fracture. However, it was added, “alcohol-treated animals were found to have increased pulmonary levels of IL-6, IL-1â, IL-2, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1á following bilateral femoral fracture.”

The harvested lung tissue, researchers reported, revealed increased pathologic changes that included parenchymal, alveolar, and peribronchial leukocyte infiltration, as well as an elevated pulmonary wet-to-dry ratio. According to the study abstract, this is indicative of pulmonary edema.

False sense of security

The results, the researchers noted, indicate the presence of alcohol in the system can modulate inflammatory response in a tissue-dependent manner. This can mean the suppression of serum biomarkers or the increase of pulmonary inflammation markers such as cytokine levels, histological changes, and findings of pulmonary edema.

“These findings indicate that alcohol modulates the inflammatory response after a major orthopedic injury, and that analysis of serum markers of inflammation after trauma may not represent the pulmonary inflammatory status in acutely intoxicated patients,” the authors wrote.

Reference:

Sears BW, Volkmer D, Yong S, et al. Binge alcohol exposure modulates rodent expression of biomarkers of the immunoinflammatory response to orthopaedic trauma. J Bone Joint Surg (Am). 2011;93:739-749. doi:10.2106/JBJS.J.00318.

Disclosure: In support of their research for or preparation of this work, one or more of the authors received, in any one year, outside funding or grants of less than $10,000 from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (grant R01 AA016138).

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