In other studies, chronic alcohol feeding impaired Th1 responses to a hepatitis C virus protein, a defect that was hypothesized to result from impaired secretion of IL-2 and GM–CSF by dendritic and T-cells (Geissler et al. 1997). This alcohol-induced defect in Th1 immunity correlates with suppression of IL-12 secretion by macrophages and dendritic cells (Waltenbaugh et al. 1998). Thus, it appears that alcohol inhibits Th1 immune responses and may predispose the organism to Th2 responses and that this shift is at least partly mediated by suppression of IL-12. This alcohol-mediated dendritic cell dysfunction prevents the organism from generating virus-specific adaptive immune responses involving CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, which may contribute to the acquisition and persistence of hepatitis C infection (Siu et al. 2009). The first line of host defense involves both structural (i.e., epithelial) cells and immune cells (i.e., macrophages and dendritic cells) at mucosal surfaces. The epithelial cells function as a physical barrier as well as regulators of the innate and adaptive immunity.
- It was uncovered that “drunk” cells possessed only one-quarter of the efficiency to fight bacteria and viruses than “sober” cells.
- This alcohol-mediated dendritic cell dysfunction prevents the organism from generating virus-specific adaptive immune responses involving CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes, which may contribute to the acquisition and persistence of hepatitis C infection (Siu et al. 2009).
- The adaptive immune system is highly specific to a particular pathogen and is formed by B and T cells lymphocytes.
- This defective neutrophil recruitment could be partially restored by localized chemokine administration (Quinton et al. 2005).
- In addition, such studies could reveal the pathways that are modified by moderate alcohol consumption to enhance immune response to vaccination.
What’s more, a short period of binge drinking — let’s say a month — can cause a reduction in T cells. And this reduction is equal to that of someone who has been binge drinking for 6 months. They do this by destroying the cells in your body that have been taken over by viruses. When you have an illness or get a vaccine, your body’s B cells create antibodies. These antibodies attack invaders and prevent an infection from spreading further. Your immune system has several different cell types, each of which has a different but very important job to help keep you healthy.
Primer on the Immune System
These foods may help your body make more of the white blood cells you need to fight off infections. Fresh produce and nuts and seeds pack a lot of zinc, beta-carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, and other nutrients you need for a healthy body. Plant-based foods also fill you up with fiber, which helps lower your body fat percentage, which can strengthen your immune response. Additional studies in rodents assessed the effects of alcohol on the effectiveness of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination, which protects against tuberculosis.
- Alcoholic beverages are energy dense and often become the primary energy source in those with AUD, leading to malnutrition.
- Also, conditions like tuberculosis and normal respiratory infections are more difficult to fight when alcohol is in the picture.
- Since those effects don’t last long, you might not worry much about them, especially if you don’t drink often.
- Such approaches should also investigate the contributions of noncoding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), and epigenetic modifications, which are known to regulate gene expression patterns (Curtis et al. 2013; Sato et al. 2011).
- Besides in the liver, the enzymes involved in the oxidative metabolism of alcohol also are present in the intestinal mucosa and intestinal bacteria also produce acetaldehyde in the gastrointestinal tract [41].
- Catalase is localized to peroxisomes and requires hydrogen peroxide to oxidize alcohol into water and acetaldehyde.
The studies found that when animals consumed ethanol before BCG vaccination, they were not protected against a subsequent pulmonary challenge with M. In contrast, mice that consumed ethanol after the BCG vaccination were protected against a subsequent M. Taken together, these data suggest that chronic ethanol exposure interferes with immunity to new antigens but not with immunity established before alcohol consumption. In a clinical case study reviewed in this issue, Trevejo-Nunez and colleagues report on systemic and organ-specific immune pathologies often seen in chronic drinkers. In such patients, alcohol impairs mucosal immunity in the gut and lower respiratory system.
Alcohol safety tips
Similarly, C57BL6 mice fed a liquid diet in which ethanol provided 27 percent of the total calories generated significantly decreased DTH responses to a T-cell–dependent antigen (i.e., sheep red blood cells) (Jayasinghe et al. 1992). The reduced DTH response and accompanying decrease in IL-12 and IFN-γ cytokine production are thought to result in part from ethanol-mediated depletion of the antioxidant glutathione in antigen-presenting cells (Peterson et al. 1998). Alcohol abuse also leads to a significant elevation of activated CD8 T cells, measured by increased expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR in adult males who consumed an average of 23 drinks/day does alcohol suppress immune system for approximately 27 years that persisted for up to 10 days of abstinence (Cook, Garvey et al. 1991). Similarly, an increased percentage of CD8 T cells expressing HLA-DR and CD57 was reported in the group of male alcoholics with self reported average alcohol consumption of approximately 400g/day for approximately 26 years (Cook, Ballas et al. 1995). Mice that consumed 20% (w/v) ethanol in water for up to 6 months, also showed an increased percentage of activated T cells as measured by increased expression of CD43, Ly6C, rapid IFN-γ response, and increased sensitivity to low levels of TCR stimulation (Song, Coleman et al. 2002, Zhang and Meadows 2005).
Molecular mechanisms of the dose-dependent effects of alcohol on the immune system and HPA regulation remain poorly understood due to a lack of systematic studies that examine the effect of multiple doses and different time courses. There may be important differences in the effects of ethanol on the immune system depending on whether the study is conducted in vitro or in vivo, as the latter allows for a complex psychogenic component in which stress-related hormones and immune-signaling molecules interact. In addition, most studies have been done in vitro using primary cells or cell lines in the presence of rather high, constant doses of ethanol. Similarly, most rodent studies to date have focused on acute/short-term binge models utilizing high concentration of ethanol (20% ethanol) as the sole source of fluid, a possible stressor in itself. Therefore, there is a pressing need for in depth studies that examine dose-dependent effects of chronic ethanol consumption on immunity in vivo to allow for the complex interactions between ethanol, its metabolites, HPA signaling, nutritional deficiencies, and the immune system. Numerous studies have demonstrated alcohol-related impairment of T-cell responses to various challenges.
