ETHANOL AND DIET-INDUCED ALTERATIONS IN KUPFFER CELL FUNCTION

The effects of 6 weeks of alcohol feeding on phagocytic, metabolicand secretory functions as well as gene expression of hepaticKupffer cells were evaluated in vitro using cultured Kupffercells isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats werefed either Teklad pelleted rat chow or the 1982 Lieber-DeCarliliquid diet containing 6% ethanol (36% calories) or the sameliquid diet with maltose-dextrin isocalorically substitutedfor the alcohol. Weight gain was greatest in the chow-fed animalsand least in those receiving ethanol. The alcohol-containingdiet stimulated Kupffer cell phagocytosis, mitochondrial reductionof Mil, secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and expressionof TNF mRNA. However, each of these cell functions was alsoenhanced by the control Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet alone andthe stimulating effect of the control diet often exceeded thatinduced by ethanol. The results suggest that early in chronicalcohol consumption, the immune system may be stimulated byethanol, and that during studies of ethanol-induced changesin immune system function, close attention must be given topotentially confounding effects of the diet.