title: Effects of ethanol consumption on enriched natural killer cells from C57BL/6 mice.
abstract: Ethanol (20% w/v) given to female, C57BL/6 mice in their drinking water was previously shown to suppress natural killer (NK) cell cytolytic activity in a mixed splenocyte population. The present study was designed to examine the hypothesis that ethanol consumption independently results in inhibition of NK cell cytolytic activity. Mice were given 20% w/v ethanol in the drinking water for 2 weeks, and splenic NK cells were enriched up to 88% based on surface expression of NK1.1. Cytolytic activity of these freshly enriched NK cells from ethanol-consuming mice against YAC-1 lymphoma cells was inhibited an average of 41% relative to water-drinking controls. Cytolytic activity of enriched NK cells from ethanol-consuming mice was stimulated to levels equal to control water-drinking mice after 16- to 18-hr incubation in 1000 units/ml recombinant interleukin 2. These data indicate that in vitro cytolytic activity of NK cells from ethanol-consuming mice is inhibited in the absence of other modulatory leukocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman 99164-6510.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gallucci
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Pfister
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Meadows
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins