Alcohol‐Induced Expression of the CD14 Endotoxin Receptor Protein in Rat Kupffer Cells

Gut-derived endotoxins (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) are believed to contribute to alcohol-induced liver disease (ALD) by stimulating Kupffer cells, the resident liver macrophages, to release proinflammatory cytokines. This activation is largely mediated by CD14, a high-affinity membrane-anchored receptor for LPS. We observed, by chemiluminescence-enhanced detection, an increase in immunoreactive CD14 protein in Kupffer cells isolated from rats treated with ethanol for 2 weeks. Immunocytofluorescence experiments confirmed that this increase was confined to the membranes of Kupffer cells from the alcohol-treated rats. The increase was regulated pretranslationally: a 3-fold elevation (p < 0.01) in the hepatic level of CD14 mRNA was observed. The marked increase in CD14 expression suggests a new mechanism by which alcohol increases the LPS-mediated cytokine signaling by the liver macrophages, thus promoting the interaction between alcohol and endotoxins in the development of liver damage.