Eckert A: Age-related changes of apoptotic cell death in human lymphocytes. Neurobiol Aging 2000

Apoptosis seems to be involved in irnmunosenescence associated with aging. Moreover, in lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with Akheimer's disease, an increased susceptibirity to the apoprotic pathway has been described possibly due to impaired protection o f oxidative stress. Accordingly. it seemed to be of particular interest to investigate the contribution of normal aging to the susceptibility from human lymphocytes 20 programmed cell death. We coiild show that PBL from elderly individuals (>60 years) accumuIate apoptosing cells to a significant higher extent in spontaneous and activation-induced cell death compared to younger controls (<35 years). Treatment with the oxidative Stressor 2-deoxy-D-ribose or with agonistic-CD95-antibody pronounced this effect even more implicating a higher sensitivity to reactive oxygen species and a higher functionril CD95 expression, respectively. In addition, expression of the activation markerc HLA-DR and CD95 was significantly increased in CD3 "-cells of aged subjects, while expression of CD25 did not seem to be affected by age. Expression of Bcl-2 was increased in aging and comlated with the number of apoptotic cells. Kqwordv. &in & Apoptosis: 1,yrnphocytes; Oxidativc stress; dctivation markers; Bcl-2 Programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis i s of partic-ular interest in aging, as it is thought Xo play an irnportant role in various age-related degenerative diseases. Apoptosis of white bIood cells could be one reason for the decrease o