T lymphocyte proliferative capability to defined stimuli and costimulatory CD28 pathway is not impaired in healthy centenarians.
It is generally assumed that T cell proliferation is impaired in aged individuals. We report data on the proliferative capability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T lymphocytes from 40 healthy people of different ages, (19-107 years), including 14 centenarians, to defined mitogenic stimuli. We observed no age-related proliferative impairment both in PBMC and in purified T cells stimulated by anti-CD3 mAb or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Furthermore, T cells stimulated by anti-CD3 mAb or PMA and costimulated by CD28 mAb did not proliferate differently among young, middle aged subjects and centenarians. Thus, short term T cell proliferation is not affected even at extreme age when well defined stimuli are used on cells deriving from carefully selected healthy subjects.
Sansoni
P
P
Istituto di Clinica Medica Generale e Terapia Medica, University of Parma, Italy.
Fagnoni
F
F
Vescovini
R
R
Mazzola
M
M
Brianti
V
V
Bologna
G
G
Nigro
E
E
Lavagetto
G
G
Cossarizza
A
A
Monti
D
D
Franceschi
C
C
Passeri
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012016:Reference Values; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*
D018106:CD28 Antigens; D008934:Mitogens