title: Effects of N-acetylcysteine on macrophage and lymphocyte functions in a mouse model of premature ageing.
abstract: In previous studies, we have observed that mice of the same strain and age show striking interindividual differences in behavior when exposed to a T-maze test. The animals that take longer to explore a T-shaped maze ("slow" animals) show high levels of emotionality/anxiety in other standard behavioral tests, prematurely aged immune functions, and a shorter life span, in comparison to "fast" mice. In these slow mice, which are a model of premature immunosenescence, the immune functions were improved after the ingestion of the thiolic antioxidant thioproline in the diet. In the present work, we studied the effects in vivo (0.1% w/w, for 4 weeks) and in vitro (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 2.5 mM) of the thiolic antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on different functions of peritoneal macrophages and lymphocytes from slow and fast adult Swiss mice. The results showed an improvement of all the functions studied, namely adherence to substrate, directed migration or chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, after in vivo and in vitro treatment with NAC. The effect of this antioxidant was stronger in the cells from the slow than in those from the fast mice.
authors.affiliation: Departmento de Fisiología Animal, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, José Antonio Novais s/n, E-28040, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puerto
authors.forename: Noelia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guayerbas
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Víctor
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De la Fuente
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019588:Aging, Premature / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D000111:Acetylcysteine