Improvement of Redox State and Functions of Immune Cells as Well as of Behavioral Response in Aged Mice After Two-Week Supplementation of Fermented Milk with Probiotics.

The homeostatic systems, such as the nervous and immune systems, show deterioration in aging as a consequence of the age-related oxidative-inflammatory stress establishment. The supplementation with fermented milk containing probiotic bacteria could be a good nutritional strategy to improve homeostatic system functions in aged individuals through the modulation of their redox state. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of 2-week supplementation with a commercial fermented milk containing yogurt species (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp.

Comparison of cell mechanical measurements provided by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Micropipette Aspiration (MPA).

A comparative analysis of T-lymphocyte mechanical data obtained from Micropipette Aspiration (MPA) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is presented. Results obtained by fitting the experimental data to simple Hertz and Theret models led to non-Gaussian distributions and significantly different values of the elastic moduli obtained by both techniques. The use of more refined models, taking into account the finite size of cells (simplified double contact and Zhou models) reduces the differences in the values calculated for the elastic moduli.

Oxidative-Inflammatory Stress in Immune Cells from Adult Mice with Premature Aging.

Oxidative and inflammatory stresses are closely related processes, which contribute to age-associated impairments that affect the regulatory systems such as the immune system and its immunosenescence. Therefore, the aim of this work was to confirm whether an oxidative/inflammatory stress occurs in immune cells from adult mice with premature aging, similar to that shown in leukocytes from chronologically old animals, and if this results in immunosenescence. Several oxidants/antioxidants and inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in peritoneal leukocytes from adult female CD1 mice in two models of premature aging-(a) prematurely aging mice (PAM) and (b) mice with the deletion of a single allele (hemi-zygotic: HZ) of the tyrosine hydroxylase () gene (TH-HZ), together with cells from chronologically old animals.

Social environment improves immune function and redox state in several organs from prematurely aging female mice and increases their lifespan.

Aging is associated with a chronic oxidative stress (increase of oxidants and decrease of antioxidants), which contributes to immunosenescence and therefore shorter longevity. Nevertheless, a positive social network has been related to the adequate maintenance of health and deceleration of aging. Adult prematurely aging mice (PAM) are characterized by their inadequate stress response to a T-maze, showing premature immunosenescence and oxidative stress establishment.

Improvements in Behavior and Immune Function and Increased Life Span of Old Mice Cohabiting With Adult Animals.

The social environment can affect the regulatory systems, and cohabitation with sick subjects is a negative factor for the nervous and immune systems, compromising the life span. Nevertheless, the possible beneficial effects of a positive social environment on nervous and immune functions and longevity have not yet been studied. The aim of this study was to analyze several behavioral and immune function parameters and life span in old mice after their cohabitation with adult animals.

Role of macrophages in age-related oxidative stress and lipofuscin accumulation in mice.

The age-related changes in the immune functions (immunosenescence) may be mediated by an increase of oxidative stress and damage affecting leukocytes. Although the "oxidation-inflammation" theory of aging proposes that phagocytes are the main immune cells contributing to "oxi-inflamm-aging", this idea has not been corroborated. The aim of this work was to characterize the age-related changes in several parameters of oxidative stress and immune function, as well as in lipofuscin accumulation ("a hallmark of aging"), in both total peritoneal leukocyte population and isolated peritoneal macrophages.

Improved Measurement of Elastic Properties of Cells by Micropipette Aspiration and Its Application to Lymphocytes.

Mechanical deformability of cells is an important property for their function and development, as well as a useful marker of cell state. The classical technique of micropipette aspiration allows single-cell studies and we provide here a method to measure the two basic mechanical parameters, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio. The proposed method, developed from finite-element analysis of micropipette aspiration experiments, may be implemented in future technologies for the automated measurement of mechanical properties of cells, based on the micropipette aspiration technique or on the cell transit through flow constrictions.

Immune function parameters as markers of biological age and predictors of longevity.

Chronological age is not a good indicator of how each individual ages and thus how to maintain good health. Due to the long lifespan in humans and the consequent difficulty of carrying out longitudinal studies, finding valid biomarkers of the biological age has been a challenge both for research and clinical studies. The aim was to identify and validate several immune cell function parameters as markers of biological age.

[Premature immunosenescence in catecholamines syntesis deficient mice. Effect of social environment].

Introduction: Healthy state depends on the appropriate function of the homeostatic systems (nervous, endocrine and immune systems) and the correct communication between them. The functional and redox state of the immune system is an excellent marker of health, and animals with premature immunosenescence show a shorter lifespan. Since catecholamines modulate the function of immune cells, the alteration in their synthesis could provoke immunosenescence.

Topographical and mechanical characterization of living eukaryotic cells on opaque substrates: development of a general procedure and its application to the study of non-adherent lymphocytes.

The mechanical behavior of living murine T-lymphocytes was assessed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). A robust experimental procedure was developed to overcome some features of lymphocytes, in particular their spherical shape and non-adherent character. The procedure included the immobilization of the lymphocytes on amine-functionalized substrates, the use of hydrodynamic effects on the deflection of the AFM cantilever to monitor the approaching, and the use of the jumping mode for obtaining the images.

A higher anxiety state in old rats after social isolation is associated to an impairment of the immune response.

Social isolation is common in the elderly exerting negative effects on neuroimmunoendocrine communication. Nevertheless physiological responses to a stressful situation may vary according to diverse factors. This work studies the differences in the immune response of aged male rats socially isolated depending on the anxiety levels produced.

Function and redox state of peritoneal leukocytes as preclinical and prodromic markers in a longitudinal study of triple-transgenic mice for Alzheimer's disease.

The aging process involves the impairment of the immune system (immunosenescence), based on the imbalance of the redox status, as occurs in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Since in AD there is a systemic disorder, we aimed to assess longitudinally, from before the onset until the complete establishment of AD, cell populations, several functions, and oxidative stress parameters in peritoneal leukocytes of triple transgenic mice for AD (3xTgAD). These animals mimic the human AD pathophysiology.

Lifelong treatment with atenolol decreases membrane fatty acid unsaturation and oxidative stress in heart and skeletal muscle mitochondria and improves immunity and behavior, without changing mice longevity.

The membrane fatty acid unsaturation hypothesis of aging and longevity is experimentally tested for the first time in mammals. Lifelong treatment of mice with the β1-blocker atenolol increased the amount of the extracellular-signal-regulated kinase signaling protein and successfully decreased one of the two traits appropriately correlating with animal longevity, the membrane fatty acid unsaturation degree of cardiac and skeletal muscle mitochondria, changing their lipid profile toward that present in much more longer-lived mammals. This was mainly due to decreases in 22:6n-3 and increases in 18:1n-9 fatty acids.

The effect of psychological stress and social isolation on neuroimmunoendocrine communication.

The adaptive response to physical or psychological challenges or threats involves the modulation of the three regulatory systems: the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. Correct communication between these systems is required to maintain a homeostatic balance, and to guarantee the health and survival of the individual. While the stress response is essential for survival, failure to cope with a stress can impair the function of these regulatory systems and prevent effective communication between them.

[Premature immunosenescence in triple-transgenic mice for Alzheimer's disease].

Introduction: A deterioration of the neuroimmunoendocrine network has been observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the peripheral immune response has hardly been investigated in this pathology. Since some immune function parameters have been established as good markers of the rate of ageing, and can predict longevity, the aim of the present work was to study some of these functions in splenic leucocytes in transgenic mice for AD of different ages.

The vertebrae of prematurely aging mice as a skeletal model of involutional osteoporosis.

Oxidative stress in bone increases with age, which leads to bone frailty and a high fracture risk. Animal models show that early changes in trabecular structure occur in age-related osteopenia. These models might be valuable to assess the contribution of oxidative stress in age-related bone loss.

Strategies to improve the functions and redox state of the immune system in aged subjects.

The aging process is accompanied by an impairment of the physiological systems including the immune system. This system is an excellent indicator of health. We have also observed that several functions of the immune cells are good markers of biological age and predictors of longevity.