Alcohol consumption suppresses metastasis of B16-BL6 melanoma in mice

Abstract

Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a defined, pelleted diet and given 10% w/v or 20% w/v ethanol in their drinking water. Natural killer (NK) cell cytolytic activity was compared between water-drinking and ethanol-consuming mice and in mice that were also treated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) to augment NK cell activity or with anti-NK1.1 antibody to decrease activity. NK cell cytolytic activity was not altered in mice given 10% ethanol, but was decreased in mice given 20% ethanol compared to water-drinking mice. Poly I:C treatment increased and anti-NK1.1 antibody treatment decreased NK cell activity in both water-drinking and 20% ethanol-consuming mice. Experimental and spontaneous metastases of B16-BL6 melanoma were evaluated as a function of the duration of ethanol consumption before tumor inoculation and as a function of altered NK cell activity. Experimental metastasis was inhibited after 4 and also after 6.5 weeks of ethanol exposure. Poly I:C treatment inhibited tumor lung colonization irrespective of ethanol consumption. Anti-NK1.1 antibody treatment increased metastasis, although to a lesser degree in mice consuming 10% ethanol. Spontaneous metastasis was inhibited in mice consuming 10% ethanol for 4 weeks, and in mice consuming 20% ethanol for 1 and 4 weeks before melanoma inoculation.

Plasma Corticosterone Response to Chronic Ethanol Consumption and Exercise Stress

“…It is unknown whether abnormal diurnal PC variation is associated with suppressed NK cell activity. Splenic NK cell cytolytic activity is not suppressed in mice fed 10% w/v ethanol for 4 weeks (29). This concentration of ethanol lies between those (7.5-20% w/v) that induce dampening of PC periodicity.…”

Alcohol consumption enhances liver metastasis in colorectal carcinoma patients

“…25,26 Yirmiya et al 10 and Ben-Eliyahu et al 11 showed that ethanol intake promotes tumor metastasis by suppressing natural killer cell activity in the rat. In contrast, Meadows et al 12 speculated that alcohol consumption suppresses metastasis rather than suppressing natural killer cell activity in mice.…”

Alcohol Consumption and Antitumor Immunity: Dynamic Changes from Activation to Accelerated Deterioration of the Immune System

“…Two recent reports demonstrated that alcohol consumption did not signifi cantly affect the metastasis of duodenal wall gastrinomas and laryngeal squamous cell cancers, which are two types of cancer that are related to alcohol consumption [ 40 , 41 ]. Using the mouse chronic alcohol consumption and B16BL6 melanoma model, we found that alcohol consumption inhibited B16BL6 lung metastasis [ 26 ]. This inhibition is independent of perforin and granzyme-induced NK cell cytotoxic effects [ 42 ].…”

“…A paradoxical observation is that while alcohol consumption is associated with a decrease in the incidence of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) [ 20 -22 ], it also decreases the survival of these patients [ 23 -25 ]. In our mouse studies, chronic alcohol consumption inhibits lung metastasis of B16BL6 melanoma inoculated intravenously [ 26 ]; however, survival of mice bearing subcutaneous melanomas is decreased [ 27 ].…”