Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on October 21, 2004
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2004 39(6):484-485; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh096
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Alcohol & Alcoholism Vol. 39, No. 6 © Medical Council on Alcohol 2004; all rights reserved
DIMINISHED CD4+ T CELL SURFACE CCR5 EXPRESSION IN ALCOHOLIC PATIENTS
1 Service de Médecine Interne E and 2 Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Hôpital Saint Eloi, 80 avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier cedex 5, France
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Service de Médecine Interne E, Hôpital Saint Eloi, 80 avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier cedex 5, France. Tel.: +33 467 337026; Fax: +33 467 337869; E-mail: p-perney{at}chu-montpellier.fr
(Received 5 April 2004; first review notified 23 May 2004; in revised form 27 August 2004; accepted 28 August 2004)
Aims: The CC chemokine receptors, particularly the CCR5, appeared to play an important role in T cell-mediated inflammatory reactions. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on the in vivo CCR5 expression. Methods: Fourteen alcoholic men hospitalized for a detoxification programme were prospectively included and compared with 49 age-matched controls. Results: The CD4+ T cell surface CCR5 densities were drastically lower in alcoholic patients [mean, 5319 molecules/cell; 95% confidence interval (CI) 44776162] as compared with CCR5 densities of the controls (10 944 molecules/cell [CI 992911959]; P < 104). Conclusions: Chronic alcohol consumption is associated with a significant decrease of CCR5 expression, which could favour Th1/Th2 imbalance.