title: Age-related changes in red blood cell lipids.
abstract: Red blood cell (RBC) lipid composition was investigated in 81 healthy subjects aged twenty to sixty-nine years, having similar dietary habits, and living in the same geographic area in order to search for changes referable to aging. A significant increase in RBC cholesterol and total phospholipid content with aging was found (p less than 0.001), whereas no differences were observed in cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratio. Significant increases in palmitic acid 16:0 esterified in phosphatidylcholine and in stearic acid 18:0 esterified in phosphatidylethanolamine (p less than 0.001) were observed with aging. Moreover, a decrease in 18:2 n6 was observed in all three phosphoglyceride fractions investigated (p less than 0.001). These results suggest that modifications in RBC lipid composition occur with aging, possibly causing a reduction of membrane fluidity.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica I, University of Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prisco
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Rogasi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paniccia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Gensini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D000447:Aldehydes / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008875:Middle Aged; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000097:blood; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D002784:Cholesterol