[Thymus and adaptive changes of bone marrow cell composition in animals of different age].

The influence of thymus removal or administration of thymalin, thymic peptide factor, on number of cells-precursors for colonies of fibroblasts (CFC-F) and for granulocyte-macrophageal colonies (CFC-GM), CD(4+)-cells in bone marrow in CBA mice of different age in some seasons was investigated. It was shown that in adult mice the orientation of influence thymic activity modulation on amount of these types cells is dependent from seasons. It was shown the season possibility of direct effect of thymic stroma supernatant, in which was thymic serum factor (FTS), or the synthetic FTS on the amount of CFC-F and CFC-GM in bone marrow of adult mice; in old mice thymic supernatant increased in vitro the amount of CD(4+)-cells. FTS level in old mice increased after administration of thymalin, the rhythm of CD(4+)-cells number in bone marrow and of corticosterone serum content restored.

[Normalizing effect of the pineal gland peptides on the daily melatonin rhythm in old monkeys and elderly people].

In the course of aging both monkeys and people reveal decreased night and average daily level of melatonin in the blood plasma and reduced hormone circadian rhythm amplitude, which evidence the disorder of the pineal gland melatonin releasing function. Peptide preparations of the pineal gland (Epithalamin--a complex of peptides isolated from the pineal gland and Epitalon--synthetic tetrapeptide) recover night release of endogenous melatonin and lead to the normalization of the hormone circadian rhythm in the blood plasma. In elderly people Epithalamin and Epitalon modulate pineal gland functional state: people with pineal gland functional insufficiency report an increase of night melatonin level. The preparations of the pineal gland, effectively increasing melatonin concentration and having no side effects, can be used in clinical geriatric practice.

[The pineal gland's peptides factors and the rhythms of functions of the thymus and bone marrow in animals during aging]. / Peptidnye faktory épifiza i ritmy funktsii timusa i kostnogo mozga u zhivotnykh pri starenii.

It was investigated the influence of pineal peptides on the aging changes both circadian rhythm of thymic serum factor (FTS) titer in male rats Wistar and circannual rhythms of FTS, the amount of stromal cells-precurcors (CFC-F), granulocyte-macrophage cells-precurcors (CFC-GM), CD4+, Mac-1+ and CD19+-cells in bone marrow of male mice CBA. Epithalamin was injected chronically beginning from 6 month in rats and 4 month in mice. In old animals the rhythmical disturbancers of the indices characterized by loss of fluctuations, displacement of seasonal acrophase, increased or diminished amplitude, inversion of rhythm and desynchronization. After epithalamin injections in rats of 11, 17, 27 months the FTS titer at night increased and in old mice of 23-24 months appeared the peak of hormone level in summer-autumn, restored the difference between the amount of CD4+, Mac-1+-cells in bone marrow in spring and autumn, increased CFC-GM amount in spring, diminished CFC-F in autumn and increased this indice in winter. Epithalon also diminished of CFC-GM and CFC-F amount in old mice in autumn. The retarding age-related disturbances of suprachiasmaticus nucleus of hypothalamus structure, the diminishing corticosterone and testosterone levels at night, the increasing hormones level in summer and the falling in winter plays role in the improvement of thymus and bone marrow rhythmical function in old animals, reseaved epithalamin. The rhythms of most indices rhythms in old animals showed a pattern of adult.

Effect of peptide preparation epithalamin on circadian rhythm of epiphyseal melatonin-producing function in elderly people.

Circadian rhythm of plasma melatonin concentrations in healthy elderly subjects was studied before and after a course treatment with Epithalamin (peptide preparation from the pineal gland). Epithalamin modulated the melatonin-producing function of the pineal gland. During the dark period plasma melatonin concentration increased in subjects with initially lowered activity of the pineal gland, while in subjects with normal epiphyseal function plasma melatonin concentration tended to decrease.

Effect of epithalamin on circadian relationship between the endocrine function of the thymus and melatonin-producing function of the pineal gland in elderly people.

The effect of epithalamin on circadian rhythms of thymic serum factor titers and melatonin concentrations in the blood of elderly people was studied. Course treatment with epithalamin modulated the rhythm of the thymic endocrine function. The increase in the titer of thymic serum factor at night coincided with the increase in blood melatonin concentration and shift of its acrophase to 3.00, which was characteristic of young people. In elderly people with preserved nocturnal peak of the thymic serum factor titer before therapy the nocturnal (3.00) concentration of melatonin was high and did not change after drug therapy. The correlation between melatonin concentration and titer of thymic serum factor increased after epithalamin treatment.

[Circadian rhythms of pineal gland melatonin-forming function in healthy elderly people]. / Sutochnye ritmy melatoninobrazuiushchei funktsii épifiza u liudei pozhilogo vozrasta.

Circadian rhythms of pineal gland melatonin-forming function were studied in healthy elderly people (n=31, age range 60-74 years). The blood plasma melatonin concentration was determined by means of radioimmune method at 3.00, 9.00, 15.00 and 21.00. The study revealed two types of circadian rhythms of plasma melatonin concentration: a high-amplitude (29%) and a low-amplitude (71%) ones. The high-amplitude rhythm of melatonin-forming pineal gland function was observed in elderly people with a higher physical working ability and a lower functional age of cardiovascular system. It is advisable to conduct the correction of pineal gland melatonin-forming function in elderly people with low-amplitude circadian rhythm of plasma melatonin concentration.

[Regulating effect of pineal gland peptides on development of T-lymphocytes in CBA aging mice: role of microenvironment of immune system organs and neuroendocrine factors]. / Reguliruiushchee vliianie peptidov épifiza na razvitie T-limfotsitov u myshei linii CBA pri starenii: rol' mikrookruzheniia organov immunnoi sistemy i neiroéndokrinnykh faktorov.

Studies were undertaken on the development of T-lymphocytes in adult and old CBA mice and its changes at aging after injections of pineal gland peptides. It was shown that in old mice the disturbances of T-cells differentiation are registered in bone marrow, thymus, spleen and characterized by the changes of lymphocyte markers expression, migration and proliferation of cells. In old mice FTS titer, melatonin and testosterone levels decreased, the balance of noradrenalin and serotonin in hypothalamus and the cell composition of microenvironment immune systems organs impaired. After chronic (18 mo) administration of the pineal gland preparation epithalamin the amount of stromal cells-precursors, CD4+ and Mac-1(+)-cells in old bone marrow increased, improved the migration of T-cell precursors from bone marrow to thymus and their proliferative potential. The proportion of CD3+, CD4+CD8-, CD4-CD8+, Mac-1(+)-cells in old thymus increased, while that of CD44(+)-cells decreased. The proportion of CD4-CD8(+)-cells in spleen increased. The most number of indices and their balance showed a pattern of adult mice. In old mice after epithalamin the balance of amines in hypothalamus improved, concentration of melatonin in pineal gland, testosterone and FTS titer in blood increased. Epithalon has also the possibility to increase of thymic endocrine function.

[Vasopressin concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid and the structural indices of the function of the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system in aging and stress]. / Kontsentratsiia vazopressina v likvore i nekotorye strukturnye pokazateli sostoianiia gipotalamo-neirogipofizarnoi sistemy pri starenii i stresse.

The radioimmunological analysis revealed an increase in the concentration of arginine vasopressin in the cerebrospinal fluid of rats during aging. This correlated with the results of karyometry of neurosecretory neurons of the supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus which showed an increase in the size of their nuclei. Under conditions of water deprivation of both adult and old rats, there was an increase in the above parameters being more marked in the adult than old rats. All this indicated pronounced changes of the vasopressin regulation in aging, limited reserves of the hypothalamic-neurohypophysial system, and age-related decrease of its response to stress. An enhanced role of the cerebrospinal fluid in accomplishment of vasopressin-induced regulation of brain functions in the old age was suggested.

[Effect of antihypertensive therapy with captopril on gluco- and mineralocorticoid receptors of peripheral blood lymphocytes in hypertensive patients of various age]. / Vliianie gipotenzivnoi terapii kaptoprilom na retseptory gliuko- i mineralokortikoidov v limfotsitakh perifericheskoi krovi bol'nykh gipertonicheskoi bolezn'iu raznogo vozrasta.

Binding of 3H-dexamethasone and 3H-aldosterone by peripheral lymphocyte receptors was investigated in healthy persons and hypertensive patients before and after 2-week captopril treatment. The number of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid binding sites was increased in hypertensives vs normotensives. The treatment with the ACE inhibitor captopril led to activation of hormone-receptor interactions. There was a more marked rise of the number of receptors in middle-aged (44-55 years) hypertensives vs elderly (61-80 years) subjects after captopril treatment.

[Hormonal mechanisms in the regulation of arterial pressure and its hemodynamic structure in old age]. / Gormonal'nye mekhanizmy reguliatsii urovnia arterial'nogo davleniia i ego gemodinamicheskoi struktury v starosti.

Age-related increase of vascular resistance determines blood pressure (BP) level in normotensive and hypertensive people. Maintenance of normotension in old age is connected with a decrease of the cardiac output. Increased cardiac output is considered to be an important factor of arterial hypertension in old age. Disturbances in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone and hypophyseal-adrenal systems are observed with advanced age and their degree increases in arterial hypertension. Variability of BP within normal range is closely connected with plasma aldosterone and cortisol concentrations. BP level and increased cardiac output are related to increased plasma ACTH and vasopressin concentrations in hypertensive subjects.

Steroid-hormone-secretion-regulating system under effect of stress in old age.

Experiments on adult (6-8 months) and old (24-28 months) male rats under chronic emotional-pain stress showed that in aging the reliability of the control system of corticosterone secretion remains unchanged while that of aldosterone secretion decreased.

[The system of regulation of aldosterone secretion in old rats]. / Sistema reguliatsii sekretsii al'dosterona u starykh krys.

The experiments performed on mature (4-6) and old (28-30 months) rats revealed changes developed in old animals in various links of regulatory system of aldosterone secretion: the decreased hypothalamohypophyseal control of mineralocorticoid secretion, increased sensitivity of glomerular zone to ACTH, vasopressin, K+ and of myocardium skeletal muscle and renal tissue to aldosterone. Changes in tissue sensitivity to aldosterone may be conditioned by the increased affinity of mineralocorticoid receptors to aldosterone in old age.

Regulation of aldosterone secretion in old rats.

The experiments on adult (4-6 months) and old (28-30 months) rats revealed changes that develop in old age in various links of the regulatory system of aldosterone secretion: the hypothalamic-hypophyseal control of mineralocorticoid secretion decreased, and the sensitivity of the glomerular zone to ACTH, vasopressin, and K+, as well as that of the myocardium, skeletal muscle and kidney to aldosterone increased. Changes in tissue sensitivity to aldosterone may be due to the increased affinity of mineralocorticoid receptors to aldosterone in old age.

[Age and the effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone on aldosterone secretion in rats]. / Vozrastnye osobennosti vliianiia adrenokortikotropnogo gormona na sekretsiiu al'dosterona u krys.

Age-related changes in functional activity of the glomerular zone were studied in the adrenal cortex of Wistar rats. It was shown that secretion of the basic mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone was decreased with age. The glomerular zone of old rats showed the reduced sensitivity to the stimulant action of corticotropin, marked by the pronounced reaction to less doses of the hormone administered. At the same time the reactivity and the range of shifts in the course of ACTH dosage build-up decrease with aging.