Ethanol inhibits mitogen-induced calcium mobilization in mouse splenocytes.
Ethanol inhibited the mitogen-induced initial increase in cytoplasmic free-calcium [Ca2+]i in mouse splenocytes. This effect was concentration-dependent, reversible, and observed at pharmacologically relevant concentrations (24-166mM). Other short-chain alcohols such as propanol, butanol, and pentanol also inhibited this mitogen-induced increase in [Ca2+]i. The potencies of these alcohols to produce this effect were highly correlated (r = 0.98, p less than 0.001) with their membrane/buffer partition coefficients. Analysis of mouse splenocyte subpopulations demonstrated that this effect was manifest in both B and T lymphocytes. Within T lymphocyte subpopulations, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were affected. These results suggest that the inhibition of [Ca2+]i increase may be an early event mediating ethanol-induced immunosuppression and that this may be a predisposing factor to infection and malignancies associated with alcoholism.
Sei
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Y
Laboratory of Neuroscience, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
McIntyre
T
T
Skolnick
P
P
Arora
P K
PK
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D003208:Concanavalin A; D000431:Ethanol; D002118:Calcium