Effects of dietary sesaminol and sesamin on eicosanoid production and immunoglobulin level in rats given ethanol.

The effects of sesaminol and sesamin on the ethanol-induced modulation of immune indices related to food allergy were examined in rats given a low (10%)-casein diet. Chronic ethanol drinking, at the dietary level of 23% (w/w), significantly increased the plasma IgA and IgM concentrations, irrespective of the presence of 0.1% and 0.2% sesaminol, but the effects disappeared with 0.2% sesamin. A significant IgG-elevating effect of these lignans was also found. In contrast, the concentration of plasma IgE was not influenced by the dietary manipulation. Although ethanol drinking did not influence splenic leukotriene B4 production, sesaminol tended to decrease it dose dependently, while sesamin increased the plasma prostaglandin E2 concentration. These results suggest that sesaminol and sesamin seems to have a diverse effect on the plasma levels of immunoglobulins and eicosanoids.