title: Influence of chronic dietary ethanol on cytokine production by murine splenocytes and thymocytes.
abstract: Prolonged consumption of ethanol (ETOH) results in alterations of host defense via immune modulation, increasing susceptibility to infection. In the present study, effects of chronic dietary ETOH on cytokine production by splenocytes and thymocytes, splenocyte and thymocyte proliferation induced by mitogens, splenic natural killer cell activity, and antibody production (IgA and IgG) were examined. C57BL/6 mice were fed 5% ETOH v/v in the Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet for 11 weeks. Release of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and interferon (IFN)-gamma produced by concanavalin A (Con A) stimulated splenocytes was significantly decreased, whereas secretion of IL-4 was slightly decreased by chronic dietary ETOH compared with controls. Production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and IL-6 by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated splenocytes was significantly and slightly decreased by ETOH compared with controls, respectively. Splenocyte and thymocyte proliferation induced by Con A was significantly inhibited by ETOH, whereas splenocyte proliferation induced by lipopolysaccharide was not affected. Natural killer cell activity was significantly inhibited by ETOH compared with controls. The production of IgA and IgG by splenocytes were also significantly decreased by ETOH compared with controls. The levels of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-6 produced by Con A-stimulated thymocytes were significantly reduced by dietary ETOH compared with control, whereas production of IFN-gamma by thymocytes was not affected. Our results suggest that chronic dietary ETOH alters the cytokine release, thereby impairing immune response and T-cell maturation, which increase host susceptibility to infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Giger
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Watson
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G