ABSTRACT
Immune responses normally reduced during aging may be resulted to different extends by the intake of several essential micro- and macronutrients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo effect of different doses of hepanox on humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of aged-mice in a trial to improve age-associated immune dysfunction. Different doses of hepanox [0.4, 2 or 10 micro g/mouse] were orally administrated to aged mice daily for one month. Control mice were treated with 0.2 ml of the sesame oil only. Our study shows that total leukocyte counts from PBL, Thy, PLN, MLN and BM as well as total and differential counts of PEC were significantly decreased in aged mice. Treatment of aged mice with hepanox preparations [0.4, 2 or 10 micro g/mouse] caused a progressive increase in the total numbers of leukocytes from all lymphoid organs studied. The present study shows also that the phagocytic function of PEC decreased with age of mice, while treat-ment of aged mice with hepanox preparation elicited a progressive increase in the scavenger activity of PEC. In old mice, there is a significant decline in PFC response to in vivo immunization with SRBC while the treatment of aged mice with hepanox preparation elicited a gradual increase in PFC response. Also, the number of T-lym-phocytes decreased significantly with advancing age of mice. Treatment of aged mice with hepanox preparations [2 and 10 micro g/mouse] elicited a progressive increase in the number of T-lymphocytes. While in vitro addition of hepanox preparations [0.002, 0.01 or 0.05 micro g/well] to old mice splenocytes, stimulated with Con A mitogen, sig-nificantly increased T-cells proliferation. The treatment of aged-mice with hepanox might be capable of main-taining and restoring the aged-related reduction in the immune efficiency