title: Ethanol enhances immunosuppression induced by cocaine.
abstract: Use of cocaine concurrently with alcohol is prevalent among cocaine addicts. Cocaine has been shown previously to inhibit phytohemagglutinin- and ConA-induced proliferation of T-lymphocytes, NK cell cytotoxicity and phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages. We compared the immunotoxic effect of cocaine, combination of cocaine with ethanol, or cocaethylene, a derivative formed from cocaine and ethanol in the body, on the mitogen-stimulated production of cytokines by splenocytes. C57B1 mice were injected twice daily with 20 mg/kg cocaine or equivalent dose of cocaethylene and received a liquid Lieber-DeCarli diet containing ethanol (26% of total calories) or isocaloric amount of maltose-dextrin. After 4 weeks of treatment cocaine and cocaethylene caused a significant decrease of the spleen weight and total number of splenocytes. In splenocytes isolated from the cocaine- or cocaethylene-treated mice mitogen-stimulated production of gamma-interferon, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-2 was suppressed, in all cases more severely when cocaethylene was used. Thus formation of cocaethylene during simultaneous consumption of cocaine and ethanol may enhance the immunotoxicity of cocaine.
authors.affiliation: Center of Addiction, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Pirozhkov
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000633:toxicity*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000431:Ethanol; D007371:Interferon-gamma; C066444:cocaethylene; D003042:Cocaine