Wine modifies the effects of alcohol on immune cells of mice

Ethanol may be detrimental to immune cells due to the generation of free ra dicals during detoxification. If this is true, then alcoholic beverages tha t contain antioxidants, like red wine, should be protective against immune cell damage. We investigated this by giving mice either a red muscadine win e (Vitis rotundifolia), a cabernet sauvignon (Vitis vinifera), ethanol tall at 6% alcohol) or water in the water bottles as the sole fluid for 8 wk. P lasma antioxidant capacity was measured with alpha alpha-diphenyl-beta-picr ylhydrazyl and was more than doubled in the mice that consumed wine compare d to control mice that consumed water or ethanol. Cytochrome P450-2E1 level s and glutathione-S-transferase activity were modified in such a way as to be interpreted as protective. An immune response was elicited by an intrape ritoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide. Later (24 h), natural killer cell s and T-lymphocytes derived from the circulation were quantitated in the le ukocyte fraction by flow cytometry, Ethanol consumption, as ethanol, signif icantly suppressed baseline cell numbers relative to the ct her groups. How ever, the mice that consumed the same amount of alcohol as wine had baselin e cell numbers not different from the water-consuming controls. The lymphoc yte response to lipopolysaccharide challenge was inhibited in the mice that consumed ethanol, but was normal in those that consumed the same amount of alcohol in the form of wine. We conclude that there are phytochemicals act ing as antioxidants and impacting on the detoxification pathway in the wine that offset the detrimental effects of ethanol on immunity.