EFFECT OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE ON MITOGEN-INDUCED LYMPHOCYTE-PROLIFERATION AND CYTOKINE PRODUCTION IN YOUNG AND OLD F344 RATS

The steroid hormone intermediate, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), has b een proposed as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of immunosenesce nce in mouse model. In the present study, the in vitro effect of DHEA on mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production wa s evaluated in a rat model. Spleen lymphocytes were isolated from youn g (4-6 months) and old (24-26 months) F344 rats and were incubated wit h DHEA for 30 min. The induction of lymphocyte proliferation, interleu kin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production by concanava lin A (Con A) was measured in a culture medium supplemented with eithe r fetal calf serum (FCS) or with serum-free medium (Nutridoma-SR, N-SR ). The induction of lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 production by Co n A decreased significantly with age, whereas induction of IFN-gamma i ncreased with age. Treatment of lymphocytes with DHEA did not signific antly alter Con A-induced proliferation or the production of IL-2 or I FN-gamma by spleen lymphocytes isolated from either young or old rats. These data indicate that in vitro DHEA treatment appears to have no i mmunomodulatory effect on the age-related changes in mitogen-induced p roliferation or cytokine production in rat lymphocytes.