IMMUNOTOXICITY OF ALCOHOL IN YOUNG AND OLD MICE .2. IMPAIRED T-CELL PROLIFERATION AND T-CELL-DEPENDENT ANTIBODY-RESPONSES OF YOUNG AND OLD MICE FED ETHANOL-CONTAINING LIQUID DIET

The effect of extended ethanol consumption of young and old BALB/c mice on the proliferative response to Concanavalin A (Con A) and T cell-dependent antibody response of their spleen cells to sheep red blood cell (RBC) stimulation was determined. Splenic cells of young (3 months) and old (25 months) BALB/c mice, fed with one of three different diets (ethanol, maltose-substitute and standard mouse chow), were first cultured with Con A to assess T cell proliferation and production of interleukin 2 (IL2). Then, Con A-activated T blast cells from young and old mice were assessed for their proliferative responding capacity to exogenous human recombinant IL2 and crude rat IL2 supernatant. Finally, splenic cells of young and old mice were assessed for their ability to generate plaque-forming cells in response to sheep RBC. The results revealed that both T cell mitogenesis and IL2-dependent proliferation of T blast cells from young and old ethanol diet-fed mice were remarkably diminished as compared to that of young and old maltose-substituted diet (isocaloric control) fed mice, respectively. The ability of T cells from both young and old ethanol diet-fed mice to produce IL2, however, was not affected. Finally, the ability of young and old ethanol diet-fed mice to mount a primary antibody response to SRBC was also significantly reduced. These results taken together demonstrate for the first time that both T cell proliferative activity and T cell-dependent antibody response of young and old ethanol diet-fed mice are impaired; however, with respect to age, differential effect of immunosuppression of ethanol was not noted.