Influence of ethanol on human T-lymphocyte migration.

Because ethanol consumption is associated with increased susceptibility to infection, we examined the effects of ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde on human T-lymphocyte migration, an important functional component of cellular inflammatory responses. With a modified Boyden chamber system, ethanol at 0.25% and 0.50% (vol/vol) inhibited spontaneous motility of human T-lymphocytes, in a noncytotoxic manner, to 65% +/- 7% (mean +/- SEM) and 62% +/- 7% of control values of migration, respectively. When T-lymphocyte migration was stimulated by colchicine (10(-5) mol/L), incubation with ethanol (0.25% and 0.50%, vol/vol) decreased migration to 80% +/- 4% and 66% +/- 8% of control values, respectively. Similar degrees of inhibition of migration were obtained with acetaldehyde at concentrations five to 10 times less than ethanol. Ethanol was similarly capable of inhibiting T cell migration induced by dibutyryl cyclic guanosine monophosphate, but it had no effect on stimulated migration induced by a human chemokinetic lymphokine. Our study demonstrates that ethanol, at concentrations achievable in vivo, is capable of depressing T-lymphocyte migration. This effect might contribute to the immunosuppression associated with ethanol consumption.