SECRETION OF CYTOKINES UPON ALLOGENEIC STIMULATION - EFFECT OF AGING

The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro mitotic r esponse and cytokine production after allogeneic stimulation of periph eral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy elderly subjects. Int erleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN), and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected in the supe rnatants of mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLC). The in vitro proliferativ e response was significantly reduced in the elderly subjects. The amou nt of IL-2 detected in the supernatant from cultures of cells from eld erly donors was higher than for young controls, as were the production of cytokines predominantly secreted by the macrophage population (IL- 1 and TNF-alpha). There was no difference in the production of gamma-I FN by cells of elderly and young subjects.