Chunk #25 — Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration Related to Alcohol’s Effects on Neuroimmune Signaling in the Brain — Role of NADPH Oxidase and Oxidative Stress
In addition to enhancing ROS levels, alcohol exposure decreases endogenous antioxidant levels, thereby reducing the body’s natural defense against ROS and again increasing oxidative stress (Henderson et al. 1995). Specifically, ethanol decreases the levels of the antioxidant glutathione and the cellular activity of antioxidative enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. Furthermore, a synthetic superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic (EUK-134) and a water-soluble analog of vitamin E (Trolox), both of which are well-known antioxidants, protected developing hypothalamic neurons from oxidative stress and cellular apoptosis caused by ethanol-treated microglia medium (Boyadjieva and Sarkar 2013).
