Age-associated changes in lymphoid and antigen-presenting cell functions in mice immunized with trypanosoma cruzi antigens

BELKYS A. MALETTO; ADRIANA GRUPPI; GABRIEL MORÓN; MARÍA C PISTORESI- PALENCIA.

MECHANISMS OF AGEING AND DEVELOPMENT

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Año: 1996 vol. 88 p. 39 - 47

0047-6374

The purpose of these studies was to analyze the role of different immune cell populations in the immune response against Trypanosoma cruzi antigens in aged mice. Mice of different ages (3 and 12 months old) were immunized i.d. with S-105 plus Bordetella pertussis as adjuvant and we compared the activities of the lymph node cells taken from 3- and 12-month-old donor animals to transfer DTH or antibody production to 3-month-old recipients. This study revealed that adherent and non-adherent immune lymph node cells of aged donor animals did not transfer response against the foreign antigen (S-105) whereas 3-month-old non-adherent lymph node cells transferred a DTH response as well as helped the specific antibody production. When total lymph node cells from 3- and 12-month-old mice were mixed, we observed an inhibition of S-105 transferred response indicating a suppressive effect of aged cells on the 3-month-old mice cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the participation of antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the immune response changes related to the previously described aged mice. Peritoneal cavities cells (PC), pulsed in vivo with S-105, obtained from 3- and 12-month-old mice were transferred to normal recipients and a DTH response to S-105 was studied. We observed that the DTH response was lower in the recipients of aged PC with respect to recipients of young PC. The results suggest that APC from aged mice are involved in controlling the cellular immune response to S-105. Age-related changes in immune T cell and APC are discussed in the context of these observations.