EVALUATION OF IMMUNOSENESCENCE THROUGH THE PRODUCTION OF CYTOKINES TNF-alfa AND IL-10 BY PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMC)

• Grant number: 09/09851-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2010
• End date: December 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Vanessa Soares Lara
• Grantee: Bruno Calzavara
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Currently, the quality of health of the elderly in Brazil is higher when compared with previous years. Advances in research and new treatments on health promoted the increase in life expectancy of people. This allowed the observation of changes in the immune system as aging, featuring the area called Imunossenescência, which involves changes in immune mechanisms and changes in the development of inflammatory processes in older individuals compared to young people, including the production of cytokines pro and anti-inflammatory, important in the activation of leukocytes and modulation of defense mechanisms. Blood mononuclear cells such as monocytes and lymphocytes are responsible for protecting the body and one of the mechanisms used by them is the production of cytokines. Elderly individuals show changes in the production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines by these cells, and the study of these changes may indicate a profile of fragility and mortality in older individuals.Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the production of cytokines, pro and anti-inflammatory, or tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-alfa) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) respectively, by peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMC) obtained from the elderly compared with young (control), both healthy. For this, samples will be obtained from peripheral blood of the volunteers and the cells will be isolated and grown in culture plates of 24 wells for 18 hours in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After this period, the supernatant will be collected for determination of cytokines by ELISA. The results will be expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD)of values obtained for each group and analyzed using the ANOVA statistical test, followed by Tukey test. Values of p <0.05 wiil be considered as indicative of statistical significance.Through this study, the knowledge about the functioning of the immune system in the elderly may be better understood, contributing to the development of diagnostics and therapies, providing a better quality of life for this population that is growing worldwide.