title: Ethanol induces marked changes in lymphocyte populations and natural killer cell activity in mice.
abstract: Treatment of mice in vivo with 5% w/v ethanol given in a liquid diet causes marked changes in spleen, peripheral blood, and thymus lymphocytes. In both the thymus and spleen, there is an acute cellular depletion resulting in a significant decrease in gross tissue size and cell number. In spleen and peripheral blood, the percentage of T lymphocytes is increased relative to B lymphocytes, but the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ T cell sub-populations remains unchanged. Splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity is increased in ethanol-consuming mice, although the percentage of NK1.1+ cells is relatively unchanged.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Meadows
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallendal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kosugi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Singer
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000276:immunology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol