title: Effect of adrenalectomy on ethanol-associated immunosuppression.
abstract: The alterations in lymphoid cell numbers and lymphocyte function due to administration of ethanol was found to be associated with high levels of circulating corticosteroids. The role of corticosteroids in the ethanol-induced alterations in the immune system was studied by administering ethanol to adrenalectomized rats. The results of these experiments showed that the ethanol-induced loss of cells from the thymus was not completely prevented by adrenalectomy and the ethanol-induced loss of cells from the spleen was not affected by adrenalectomy. Likewise the ethanol-induced decrease in antibody production to the T-cell-dependent antigen sheep erythrocytes were not affected by adrenalectomy. The ability of animals to produce antibodies of the T-cell-independent antigen, TNP-Ficoll, was not affected by ethanol regardless of whether the animals had adrenal glands or not. These data indicate that adrenal corticosteroids are responsible for some but not all of the thymic involution due to ethanol intoxication. Also, adrenalectomized rats did not show as much impairment in lymphocyte proliferation as sham adrenalectomized animals after ethanol administration. However, this loss of cells from peripheral lymphoid organs such as the spleen and the decreased ability to respond to T-cell-dependent antigens is not influenced by adrenalectomy indicating mechanisms other than corticosteroids mediate these effects of ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Jerrells
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Marietta
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Weight
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eckardt
mesh_terms: D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D000431:Ethanol; D003345:Corticosterone