Dietary restriction alone and in combination with oral ethoxyquin/2-mercaptoethylamine in mice.
To investigate effects of dietary caloric restriction (DR) combined with antioxidant feeding, long-lived hybrid mice were divided into four dietary groups at weaning, and followed until natural death. Groups "C" and "R" received control (97 kcal/wk) and restricted (56 kcal/wk) diets respectively. Groups "C+ alpha ox" and "R+ alpha ox" received C or R diets supplemented with an antioxidant mixture (2-mercaptoethylamine plus ethoxyquin). R mice (mean life span 41 months) significantly outlived the other three groups (mean life span 30-34 months). Hepatic degeneration and increased hepatoma in the R+ alpha ox group suggested unusual hepatotoxicity of this regimen. Antioxidants had little effect on splenic cell mitogen response in similarly fed mice sacrificed at 12-15 months. Gompertz analysis suggests that the beneficial effect of DR may be due to reductions in initial vulnerability or rate-of-aging parameters, or both, and that the relative influence of each factor may vary with animal strain and DR protocol used.
Department of Pathology, University of California, Los Angeles.
S B
SB
Harris
R
R
Weindruch
G S
GS
Smith
M R
MR
Mickey
R L
RL
Walford
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001835:Body Weight; D003543:Cysteamine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D005015:Ethoxyquin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D011804:Quinolines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D000975:Antioxidants; D011804:Quinolines; D003543:Cysteamine; D005015:Ethoxyquin