Alcohol-Mediated Oxidative Stress in the Airway: The Unique Role of Thiol Depletion

Abstract

Individuals with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) have increased susceptibility to developing respiratory infections and the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Oxidative stress is a primary contributor to the pathogenesis of these alcohol-related derangements. Sources of alcohol-induced lung oxidative stress include depletion of cytosolic and mitochondrial glutathione (GSH), increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and enhanced expression and activity of NADPH oxidases (Nox). Alcohol-mediated oxidative stress in the lung leads to tissue injury and barrier dysfunction, phospholipid peroxidation and DNA oxidation, fibronectin production, apoptosis, and dysregulation of cellular zinc transport and immune function. Since these consequences directly relate to rising healthcare costs and associated hospitalizations of alcoholic patients, therapeutic interventions to attenuate alcohol-induced pulmonary oxidative stress are critical. Treatments recently under investigation in preclinical studies and, in some cases clinical studies, include drugs that activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), dietary zinc supplementation, and treatment with GSH precursors. These interventions are designed to attenuate alcohol-mediated increases in lung oxidative stress with the goal of restoring healthy lung function and thereby decreasing the risk of lung infections and injury in this vulnerable population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)