THE INFLUENCE OF AGE ON BLOOD-ALCOHOL LEVELS AND ETHANOL-ASSOCIATED IMMUNOSUPPRESSION IN A MURINE MODEL OF ETHANOL-CONSUMPTION

Several study findings indicate that with ethanol ingestion a number o f changes occur in the immune system. We Studied the effects of ethano l consumption on mice at various ages. We used a murine model in which young (age 6-8 weeks), middle-aged (age 12 months), and old (age 24 m onths) male C57BI/6 mice were pair-fed either a Leiber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 7% (v/v) ethanol or an isocaloric control diet. Consum ption of ethanol diet for 8 days resulted in high blood alcohol levels in young and old mice; low levels were observed in middle-aged mice. Middle-aged mice consumed more ethanol than did either young or old mi ce and had the lowest percent body weight loss of all three age groups . Proliferation of spleen lymphocytes to T-cell stimuli (concanavalin A and alloantigens) in both young and old mice fed ethanol was diminis hed. T-cell function was unchanged in middle-aged mice consuming an et hanol diet when compared with that observed in age-matched mice pair-f ed control diet. No effect of ethanol on proliferation to lipopolysacc haride was noted in any group. Proliferative response of T cells to so luble anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody was also decreased in middle-aged a nd old pair-fed control mice when compared with young control mice. Th e proliferative response to soluble anti-CD3 in all three age groups o f mice ted ethanol, however, was not significantly affected by ethanol consumption. When platebound anti-CD3 was used to stimulate purified T cells obtained from young and middle-aged pair-fed control and ethan ol-treated mice, the proliferative response associated with ethanol wa s diminished in young animals but not in middle-aged animals. These re sults show that the immunosuppressive effects of ethanol on T-cell fun ction are similar in old and young mice; however, middle-aged animals were affected less. An important finding of this study was the associa tion between blood alcohol levels and the immunosuppression that resul ted from ethanol feeding.