The influences of age on T lymphocyte subsets in C57BL 6 mice

Abstract EN

The aim of this study is to evaluate the age related changes of T lymphocyte subsets in C57BL/6 mice and immune function.

Multi-color immunofluorescence techniques that were used to analyse relative numbers of T lymphocyte subsets include CD4+, CD8+, naive and memory CD4+ and CD8+, CD8+CD28+ T cells in peripheral blood of C57BL/6 mice from different age groups (Group I: 2 months old; Group II: 7 months old; Group III: 21 months old); Splenocytes isolated from different group mice were stimulated with Con A to evaluate the proliferative ability.

Compared with group I, group II had a significant reduction in the percentage of CD4+, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and an increase in the percentage of CD8+ T cells, while group III had a significant reduction in the percentage of CD4+, naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and increase in the percentage of CD8+, memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood.

Compared with group II, group III had a significant reduction in the percentage of naive CD8+ T cells and increase in the percentage of memory CD4+ and CD8+, CD8+CD28+ T cells in peripheral blood.

The T lymphocyte proliferation in vitro showed that groups II and III had a lower proliferative capacity than group I, between groups II and III, there was not a significant difference.

We provide relative values for the T lymphocyte subsets in the different age groups of C57BL/6 mice.

The immune system began aging at 7 months old in C57BL/6 mice under a specific pathogen free environment.