Interferon (IFN) production by peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells of an elderly population
Previous investigations in the laboratory have reported decreased mitogen responses of PBM's from elderly individuals compared to responses of young adults to PHA and ConA. Current studies have investigated the role of IFN in this decreased T cell responsiveness of the elderly. Supernatants of PBM's from 80 elderly (mean age 85) and 50 young individuals (mean age 28) were assayed for antiviral activity, after incubation with optimum and supraoptimum concentrations of mitogen for 24-120 hrs. IFN levels were maximum for both elderly and young populations at 72 hrs coinciding with time of maximum proliferation as determined by uptake of /sup 3/H thymidine. IFN levels declined with longer incubation periods. All IFN produced was IFN-gamma as determined by sensitivity to pH 2 and by neutralizations with monoclonal antibody specific for human IFN-gamma and polyclonal antiserum specific for IFN-alpha. The elderly population's mean IFN titers for both PHA and ConA were about 39% of the mean titers of the young (p less than or equal to 0.02). Both elderly and young groups displayed significant positive correlation between the amount of IFN produced and the level of proliferation in response to the mitogens (p less than or equal to 0.036). Therefore, the above data suggests the decreased levels of IFN produced by elderly PBM's may be one of the factors responsible for the observed decreased proliferative response to mitogens.
- Research Organization:
- Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- OSTI ID:
- 7092897
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8604222-; TRN: 87-008615
- Journal Information:
- Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States), Vol. 45:4; Conference: 70. annual meeting of the Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology, St. Louis, MO, USA, 13 Apr 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
INTERFERON
BIOSYNTHESIS
LYMPHOCYTES
CELL PROLIFERATION
AGE DEPENDENCE
AGED ADULTS
IMMUNE REACTIONS
MITOGENS
MONOCYTES
THYMIDINE
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMAL CELLS
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
GROWTH FACTORS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LEUKOCYTES
LYMPHOKINES
MATERIALS
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINES
RIBOSIDES
SOMATIC CELLS
SYNTHESIS
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques