Elsevier

Neurobiology of Aging

Volume 8, Issue 2, March–April 1987, Pages 159-165
Neurobiology of Aging

Decreased sympathetic innervation of spleen in aged fischer 344 rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-4580(87)90026-1Get rights and content

Abstract

Splenic noradrenergic innervation in young adult and aged Fischer 344 rats was examined using fluorescence histochemistry for catecholamines and high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (LCEC) for the quantitation of norepinephrine (NE). In young adult rats, abundant noradrenergic plexuses followed the vasculature and trabeculae into splenic white pulp. In aged rats, noradrenergic innervation was reduced in density and in overall intensity of fluorescence, and splenic NE levels were significantly lower. The relationship between diminished noradrenergic innervation and diminished immune responsiveness in aging mammals, while not clear on a causal level, is presented as a hypothesis for further testing.

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      Therefore, the restoration of thymopoiesis and reversal of thymic involution in aged rodents requires both the hematopoietic molecules and endocrine factors in order to abrogate immunosenescence. The age-associated reduction in sympathetic NA nerve density, and NE concentration and content, in the spleens of old female rats is consistent with the loss of sympathetic NA innervation observed in old male rats previously reported from our laboratory (Felten et al., 1987a, b; Bellinger et al., 1992; Bellinger et al., 2008; Perez et al., 2009), but occurs at an early age than reported for male rats (Table 1). The age-related decline in NE levels was approximately 60 to 70% in all the splenic compartments of old female rats, which is similar to that observed in old male rats (Felten et al., 1987a, b; Bellinger et al., 1992).

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    Supported by Grant N00014-84-K-0488 from the Office of Naval Research, 1 F32 NS07980-01 from NIMH (NINCDS), and by NIH Training Grant AG T32 107.

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