title: Effect of aging on murine macrophages. Diminished response to IFN-gamma for enhanced oxidative metabolism.
abstract: The ability of macrophages to secrete reactive oxygen intermediates, as well as reactive nitrogen intermediates, correlates closely with their capacity to perform two critical effector functions: intracellular killing of microorganisms and lysis of tumor cells. In this study, age-associated changes in the ability of caseinate-elicited peritoneal macrophages to release hydrogen peroxide were determined. Macrophages from aged BALB/c mice produced 50% less hydrogen peroxide than those from young mice in response to PMA or opsonized zymosan. In contrast, the production of macrophage-activating cytokines including IFN-gamma was not diminished in splenocyte supernatants from the aged group. Furthermore, no difference was detected in surface expression of IFN-gamma receptor in old and young mice. Macrophage responses to IFN-gamma, however, declined with aging. In vitro, IFN-gamma-induced release of hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide was 50% lower in old mice than in young mice. IFN-gamma-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MAPK, an early activation event, was undetectable in macrophages from the aged mice. These data demonstrate that diminished responses of macrophages to activating signals are one aspect of the impaired immune response in aged mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY 10021.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwab
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D002364:Caseins / Q000494:pharmacology; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D019000:Phosphotyrosine; D017471:Receptors, Interferon / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor
chemical_list: D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D002364:Caseins; D003208:Concanavalin A; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019000:Phosphotyrosine; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014443:Tyrosine; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor