Open AccessSex and parity modulate cytokine production during murine ageing
Author(s) -
BARRAT F.,
LESOURD B.,
BOULOUIS H.J.,
THIBAULT D.,
VINCENTNAULLEAU S.,
GJATA B.,
LOUISE A.,
NEWAY T.,
PILET Ch.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
clinical & experimental immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.329
H-Index - 135
eISSN - 1365-2249
pISSN - 0009-9104
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2249.1997.4851387.x
Subject(s) - ageing , cytokine , endocrinology , medicine , biology , interferon gamma , concanavalin a , interleukin 2 , immunology , granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor , pregnancy , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics
We have previously shown that physiological hormone differences related to pregnancy or sex affect the age‐related distribution of mononuclear cell populations during murine ageing. To determine whether such changes are involved in the age‐related changes in functions of T cells, we examined the secretion of major T cell immunoregulatory cytokines (IL‐2, IL‐4, interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ), IL‐3, IL‐6 and granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF)) of in vitro concanavalin A‐activated spleen cells of C57Bl/6 mice. The study included multiparous and virgin females and males at 2, 8, 15 and 23 months of age. Short‐term effects of parity (8 months) were evidenced by the decrease of IFN‐γ and the preserved IL‐2 production in multiparous females (8 months), while IFN‐γ was unchanged and IL‐2 decreased in virgin mice. The increase in IL‐4 production appeared earlier in multiparous females (15 months) than in virgin mice (23 months). The increase in IL‐4/IFN‐γ and IL‐4/IL‐2 ratios at 8 and 15 months, respectively, in multiparous females, suggests that pregnancy modifies the Th1/Th2 equilibrium. In late adulthood (15 months), IL‐6 and GM‐CSF production was higher in multiparous females than in virgin males or females. Sex differences were also noticed: IFN‐γ secretion capacity was lower in males than in females during ageing. This study underlines that the onset, magnitude and kinetics of the age‐related changes in cytokine production are parity‐ and sex‐dependent. These changes probably influence the incidence of age‐related diseases and may explain the greater longevity of females.