Important Finding for COVID-19 Pandemic: Hydrocephalus-producing effect of Vaporized Alcohol Disinfectant

Abstract

Background Alcohol exposure may cause hydrocephalus, but the effect of vaporized nasal alcohol exposure on the choroid plexus, and ependymal cells, and the relationship between alcohol exposure and developing hydrocephalus are not well known. This subject was investigated.

Methods Twenty-four male (∼380 g) Wistar rats were used in this study. The animals were divided into three groups, as the control, sham and study groups. The study group was further divided into two groups as the group exposed to low or high dose of alcohol. The choroid plexuses and intraventricular ependymal cells and ventricle volumes were assessed and compared statistically.

Results Degenerated epithelial cell density of 22 ± 5, 56 ± 11, 175 ± 37, and 356 ± 85/mm³ was found in the control, sham, low alcohol exposure, and high alcohol exposure groups, respectively. The Evans index was <34% in the control group, >36% in the sham group, >40% in the group exposed to low alcohol dose (low-dose alcohol group), and >50% in the group exposed to high dose of alcohol (high-dose alcohol group).

Conclusions It was found that alcohol exposure caused choroid plexus and ependymal cell degeneration with ciliopathy and enlarged lateral ventricles or hydrocephalus. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, our findings are functionally important, because alcohol has often been used for hygiene and prevention of transmission of the Sars-Cov-2-virus.

Keywords

COVID-19 - choroid plexus - ependymal cell - alcohol - hydrocephalus

Availability of Data

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Ethical Approval Statement

The experimental procedure was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Animal Laboratories of Ataturk University. “All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.” “All procedures performed in studies involving animals were under the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted.” “This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.”

Publication History

Received: 07 March 2022

Accepted: 14 October 2022

Accepted Manuscript online:
17 October 2022

Article published online:
24 February 2023

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