Chronic binge alcohol administration accentuates expression of pro-fibrotic and inflammatory genes in the skeletal muscle of simian immunodeficiency virus-infected macaques

We studied the effect of alcohol admistration on the gene profiles of skeletal muscle of SIV-infected macaques. We found that alcohol-treated SIV-infected monkeys had altered gene patterns associated with ECM remodeling including TIMP-1, MMP2 and MMP9 In addition, hydroxyproline content and picrosirius staining reflected greatest collagen deposition in the alcohol-SIV muscle tissue. Animals were infused intragastrically with alcohol or sucrose daily for three months prior to intravenous SIV inoculation with 10,000X the ID50SIV mac251 for about 13 months