Voluntary intake of "Tiquira", an alcoholic beverage prepared from fermented manioc, decreases immunoglobulin production and increases self-reactivity in mice.

Unlabelled: We studied the effects of chronic voluntary ingestion of "Tiquira" (50%)--an alcoholic beverage prepared from fermented manioc, widely consumed in Maranhão,--on the natural immunological activity of young adult (2-3 months old) C57B1/6J mice (16-17 g) by evaluating the number of plaque-forming cells (PFCs) in the spleen and by titrating serum antibodies by ELISA. Voluntary ingestion of "Tiquira" for 30 days decreased immunoglobulin secretion in serum (

Control: 1600 +/- 30 vs

Experimental: 193 +/- 20), caused an impressive reduction in the total number of PFCs in the spleen (

Control: 482 +/- 22 vs

Experimental: 58 +/- 3) and increased the proportion of self-reacting antibody molecules in serum (

Control: 119 +/- 16 vs

Experimental: 800 +/- 20) and self-reactive PFCs to mouse red blood cells (MRBC) in the spleen (

Control: 183 +/- 14 vs

Experimental: 272 +/- 16; N = 10 animals per group). These preliminary results suggest that the voluntary ingestion of "Tiquira" for 30 days may interfere with immunological relations by decreasing the total number of immunoglobulin secreting cells and increasing the anti-self antibody production. Experiments are in progress to determine if ethanol or other substances present in "Tiquira" are responsible for the effects documented here.