title: Dietary protein alters age-induced change in hypothalamic GABA and immune response.
abstract: The effect of dietary protein on hypothalamic GABAergic activity and immune response of rats in relation to age was studied. The age-induced (due to increase of age from three to 18 months) decrease in hypothalamic GABAergic activity and immune response were potentiated with the supplementation of protein rich diet under both short- and long-term conditions. Long-term consumption of protein-poor diet, in contrast, produced activation of hypothalamic GABAergic activity with an immunopotentiation with the increase of age from three to 18 months; whereas, short-term supplementation of low protein diet did not show any effect. The results of the present study may indicate that the activation or inhibition of hypothalamic GABAergic activity by immunopotentiation or immunosuppression during aging depends on the variation of the amount of dietary protein as well as the duration of its supplementation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Calcutta, 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Calcutta, India.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Poddar
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Bandyopadhyay
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chakrabarti
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid