Changes with age in the proliferative response of splenic T cells from rats exposed to ethanol in utero.

The fetal alcohol syndrome is associated with altered immunity. Several laboratories have confirmed that rodents exposed to ethanol in utero demonstrate both diminished proliferative responses of T cells to mitogens and diminished proliferative responses of T-blast cells to human recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL2). We examined the developmental time course of these altered immune responses by testing the immune function of in utero ethanol-exposed rats at various ages. We found that while diminished splenic T cell proliferative responses could not be detected at 2 weeks, they were present at 6 weeks after birth and suppression was maximal at 6 weeks and 3 months. Thereafter, at 5 and 7 months, the altered immune responses gradually declined and normalized at 8 months of age. Thus, both altered T cell mitogenesis and the blunted IL2-induced proliferative response of T-blast cells could serve as biomarkers of fetal exposure to ethanol.