BACKGROUND The mechanisms of cell or organ damage by chronic alcohol consumption are still poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinases during ethanol-induced damage to SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. METHODS Cells were treated with ethanol and subsequently analyzed for cell morphology, viability, and DNA fragmentation. Immunoblot an...

The mechanism underlying ethanol-induced apoptosis in liver cells is not clear. Sphingomyelin (SM) metabolism is a novel signal transduction pathway that has an impact on apoptosis in many cell types. We investigated whether the SM pathway is involved in ethanol-induced apoptosis in the liver. Hep G2 cells were treated with ethanol followed by assaying apoptosis, sphingomyelinase (SMase) activi...

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a conserved intracellular signaling pathway that controls transcription of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis related genes. Ethanol stress has been recently described as an activator of the UPR response in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but very little is known about the causes of this activation. Although some authors ensure that the UPR is triggere...

Excessive ethanol intakes have been reported to be linked liver diseases such as hepatitis and cancerrelated of ethanol. can lead the accumulation reactive oxygen species(ROS) depletion glutathione (GSH) in liver. Ethanol-induced oxidative stress substantiallyincreases peroxidation lipid decreases GSH levels human hepatocyte animal models.Ethanol contributes sterol regulating element-binding pr...

Background: Parthenogenetic activation of mammalian oocytes using artificial stimuli is commonly used in various reproductive bio-techniques. Calcium ionophore is known to elevate intracellular calcium levels in the cytoplasm of oocytes through the influx of calcium from extracellular spaces. Ethanol promotes a single intracellular Ca2+ increase of greater and longer amplitude than the initial ...

Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to elevations in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic neuroactive steroids that enhance GABA neurotransmission and restore homeostasis following stress. This regulation of the HPA axis maintains healthy brain function and protects against neuropsychiatric disease. Ethanol sensitivity is influenced by elevations in neuroactive ste...

Alcohol is a major cause of both acute and chronic pancreatitis. Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis. Herein, we examined the effect of ethanol and acetaldehyde on the activation of transcription factors and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases in PSCs. PSCs were isolated from rat pancreas tissue...