Effects of ethanol consumption and withdrawal on B cell subpopulations in murine bone marrow

We designed studies to examine the effects of ethanol consumption and withdrawal on the numbers of pre-B and B cells in murine bone marrow. Flow cytometric analysis of B220 and surface IgM expression on bone marrow cells revealed that consumption of ethanol by mice for 7 days led to a significant reduction in pre-B cells. The number of mature B cells in the bone marrow of these animals, however, did not differ from that of control mice. In contrast, examination of bone marrow obtained from mice at various times after withdrawal from ethanol showed significantly fewer numbers of mature B cells and an even greater loss of pre-B cells. This effect was seen for relatively long periods after withdrawal. These study findings are interpreted to suggest that ethanol consumption results in changes in the pre-B cell population in murine bone marrow. It also appears that withdrawal from ethanol results in more profound changes in the mature B cell population of the bone marrow than those that occur during ethanol consumption.