Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

“ Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) has been shown to antagonize the depressant effects of ethanol in animals, but conflicting findings have been reported in humans.”

“In conclusion the study demonstrated that several acute effects of ethanol intake in humans were reduced by TRH pretreatment which did not interfere with the blood ethanol concentration versus time curve.”

“The effect of ethanol to produce errors was substantially reduced in all three reaction tests after TRH treatment compared to placebo treatment.”

“The effects caused by ethanol were also significantly reduced in three clinical tests and in two subjective tests of inebriation by TRH treatment compared to placebo treatment.”

“It is suggested that repeated ethanol administration causes hypofunction of both hypothalamic TRH neurons and anterior pituitary thyrotropic cells.”

“ TRH antagonizes many of the initial responses to ethanol , perhaps by non-specific means.”

“The initial sensitivity of an animal to ethanol can also be affected by peptides, notably thyrotropin releasing hormone (thyroliberin, TRH).”

“Both ethanol treatment and food deprivation increased TRH content in the septum.”

“ TRH content in the septum was increased in both the ethanol and pair-fed groups.”

“ Ethanol consumption decreased TRH content and PPII activity in frontal cortex of male rats after 3-6 weeks.”

“Nutritional changes or acute ethanol administration in male rats differentially modulate TRH or PPII expression.”

“Withdrawal at 24 h after 3-week ethanol ingestion decreased TRH content in amygdala and PPII activity in n. accumbens, while withdrawal from glucose reverted some of the effects produced by chronic glucose ingestion.”

“Administration of 10 mg/kg TRH to mice was found to reduce the sleep and hypothermia induced by 4.7 g/kg ethanol.”

“ Ethanol , at a concentration of 80 mM, stimulated the release of TRH from the posterior pituitary, the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, the median eminence, and the brain septum, when administered only in isosmolar but not in hyperosmolar medium.”

“We have shown that ethanol in clinically relevant concentrations can in vitro induce TRH release from the septum by a mechanism involving neuronal swelling.”

“ Chronic ethanol caused a decrease in the levels of TRH in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of dams.”