EFFECTS OF ACUTE ETHANOL EXPOSURE ON CELLULAR IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN A MURINE MODEL OF THERMAL-INJURY

To test the effects of acute ethanol exposure on immune function after ther mal injury mice with blood alcohol levels of 100 mg/dL were give n a 15% total body surface area dorsal scald or sham injury Bacterial challenge resulted in 100 and 40% mortality in burn + ethanol- and bur n + vehicle-treated mice, respectively, Delayed-type hypersensitivity responses were also significantly suppressed in burn + ethanol-treated mice, At 1 and 4 days post-burn, concanavalin A (ConA) -induced total splenocyte proliferation in burn + ethanol-treated groups was signifi cantly decreased (P < 0.01) compared crith burn + vehicle-or sham-trea ted animals, This decrease was not observed in total splenocytes cultu red with anti-CD3 epsilon or among adherence-depleted splenocytes give n ConA or anti-CD3 epsilon. FAGS analyses revealed Ino changes in sple nocyte sub-type ratios in burn + ethanol mice, The data herein demonst rate that acute ethanol exposure before thermal injury results in enha nced susceptibility to bacterial infection and markedly suppressed cel lular immunity which appears to be macrophage dependent.