title: Decreased neutrophil cyclic AMP response to isoprenaline stimulation in the elderly.
abstract: Neutrophils from drug-free elderly subjects produced approximately 50% less cyclic AMP in response to isoprenaline than did neutrophils from young subjects. A significant difference in basal cyclic AMP levels was also evident (elderly 2.8 +/- 0.37; young 4.9 +/- 0.36 pmol of cAMP/10(7) cells; P less than 0.05). With a range of anti-neutrophil monoclonal antibodies no evidence of age-related neutrophil population heterogeneity was found. These findings indicate that the age-related decline in beta-adrenoceptor responsiveness is not due to changes in the neutrophil population. The present results support the hypothesis that there is a generalized decline in beta-adrenoceptor-mediated responsiveness in the elderly.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP; D007545:Isoproterenol