Korean J Lab Med.  2005 Aug;25(4):273-279.

Age-Related Decrease and a Simple Flow Cytometric Assay of Neutrophil Function

• Won DI
• Heo WB
• Suh JS

Abstract

BACKGROUND
We intended to confirm a decline in neutrophil function with aging and to devise a simple neutrophil function test protocol for use in a clinical setting. Reversely, the reliability of this protocol was to be verified by detectability of a decline in neutrophil function with aging. METHODS: Whole blood samples from young (thirties, N=32) and old (sixties, N=32) healthy subjects were incubated with the 7-aminoactinomycin D stained Escherichia coli. The mixture was stained by dihydrorhodamine 123 as an oxidative probe. Two kinds of fluorescence were measured by flow cytometry.
RESULTS
Phagocytosis was declined with aging as indicated by a decrease in the percentage (form 28.2+/-9.5% to 21.9+/-10.9%, P<0.05) and the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) ratio (from 1.67+/-0.27 to 1.51+/-0.27, P<0.05). Oxidative burst had a trend toward a decrease with aging, but the differences were not significant (percentage: from 35.3+/-13.2% to 32.1+/-14.1%, P=0.36; MFI ratio: from 5.26+/-3.23 to 5.08+/-3.55, P=0.84).
CONCLUSIONS
The devised protocol in this study could detect a significant decline in neutrophil function with aging, and this protocol may be useful for the assessment of neutrophil function in a clinical setting.

Keyword

Neutrophil; Phagocytosis; Oxidative burst; Aging

MeSH Terms

Aging
Escherichia coli
Flow Cytometry
Fluorescence
Neutrophils*
Phagocytosis
Respiratory Burst