Aging: the cellular immune response against autologous and foreign antigens is affected before the humoral response.
In this study we examined the auto- and hetero-immune response in mice of different ages immunized with antigens of Trypanosoma cruzi (S-105). We observed that 20-day- and 12-month-old mice showed decreased response to foreign antigens and increased response to autoantigens, compared with 3-month-old immunized mice. The 6-month-old mice showed hetero- and auto-immune cellular responses similar to those of 12-month-old animals; however, the humoral response was similar to that of 3-month-old animals against either antigen, suggesting that the compartments of the immune response are altered at different moments in the same individual. Immune response against a foreign antigen is correlated with the presence of cellular infiltrate in skeletal and heart muscle whereas no modifications in the tissue are noticed in animals with an autoimmune response. Also, we observed from cell transfer experiments that lymph node cells are involved in the dysregulation that we noticed with aging.
Maletto
B
B
Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, UNC, Córdoba, Argentina.
Gruppi
A
A
Pistoresi-Palencia
M C
MC
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000276:immunology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000276:immunology; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000276:immunology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D001324:Autoantigens; D000939:Epitopes