Opposing Effects of Alcohol on the Immune System PMC

To elicit a response from the cell-mediated arm of the adaptive immunity, antigens need to be presented to the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. Studies in rodents found that chronic alcohol feeding can impair presentation of protein antigens in the spleen (Mikszta et al. 1995). Acute alcohol intoxication impairs the antigen-presenting ability of these cells (Mandrekar…