Protective effect of low-dose alcohol consumption against post-ischemic neuronal apoptosis

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of permanent disability and death in adults worldwide. Apoptosis is a major element contributing to post-ischemic neuronal death. The authors of a paper published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences previously found that low-dose alcohol consumption protects against neuronal apoptosis in the peri-infarct cortex following transient focal cerebral ischemia. Lipocalin-type prostaglandin D2 synthase (L-PGDS), which is mainly localized in the central nervous system (CNS), was previously shown to inhibit neuronal apoptosis. Therefore, the researchers sought to determine whether L-PGDS is involved in the protective effect of low-dose alcohol consumption against post-ischemic neuronal apoptosis.
The mouse study found that low-dose alcohol consumption may protect against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by suppressing post-ischemic neuronal apoptosis via an upregulated L-PGDS. Source: Li C, Li J, Loreno EG, Miriyala S, Panchatcharam M, Sun H. Protective Effect of Low-Dose Alcohol Consumption against Post-Ischemic Neuronal Apoptosis: Role of L-PGDS. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022; 23(1):133.