Interleukin-1 beta and Interleukin-6 serum concentrations correlate with neuropathy and liver enzyme levels in patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder

Abstract

Peripheral neuropathy is a common clinical manifestation in patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder (AUD). The pathogenesis of alcohol-related neuropathy is under investigation and there are insufficient data to support the hypothesis of a possible immune-mediated pathway. In this study, we correlated serum cytokine concentrations with neurophysiological and biochemical findings and investigated possible risk factors, pathogenetic mechanisms and biomarkers of neuropathy in patients with AUD. Ninety patients with AUD (54 with neuropathy and 36 without neuropathy) and sixty-eight age- and gender-matched healthy subjects (control group) were recruited in this prospective study over a period of three years. Serum concentrations of Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-8 (IL-8), Interleukin-10, and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), as well as fasting glucose, blood thiamine and liver enzymes levels, were determined upon admission. The mean values of the concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α of patients with AUD were significantly higher than those of the healthy control group. We also found that the mean values of IL-1β and IL-6 concentrations were significantly higher in the group of patients with neuropathy than the patients without polyneuropathy and the healthy control group. Moreover, we found a statistically significant association between higher IL-1β, as well higher IL-6, concentration values and higher liver enzyme levels. Our study suggests that higher concentrations of circulating IL-1β and IL-6 may contribute in the pathophysiology of alcohol-related peripheral neuropathy, and that their concentrations are associated to time- and dose-dependent liver dysfunction.