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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Age-related alterations in the immune system of aging mice
Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Krasnodarsky Krai, Russia
Correspondence should be addressed: Daniil V. Shevyrev
Olimpiysky prospekt, 1, Sochi, 354349, Russia; ur.liam@52liinad.rd
Funding: the study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation работа, project No. 24-15-20003 https://rscf.ru/project/24-15-20003/ (date of access: August 19, 2025).
Author contribution: Matveeva KS — experimental procedure, data processing, manuscript formatting, Shevyrev DV — experimental procedure, statistical analysis, manuscript reviewing.
Compliance with ethical standards: the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sirius University of Science and Technology (protocol No. 7.1 dated 12 April 2024).
Accumulation of senescent cells in the tissues is associated with functional impairment and the development of age-related disorders. The key role in this process is played by the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) contributing to chronic systemic inflammation, which is associated with the increased risk of autoimmune disorders and cancer, as well as the decreased resistance to infections. Normally, the immune system eliminates senescent cells, but the effectiveness of this process decreases with age, including due to the immune system aging. The study aimed to assess age-related alterations in the main lymphocyte and myelocyte populations in the spleen and bone marrow samples of senile mice. The study involved groups of young (n = 8) and elderly (n = 4) С57BL/6 mice. Populations were tested by flow cytometry using the fluorescence-labeled antibodies. The aging phenotype was assessed based on the β-Gal enzyme activity with pre-treatment with bafilomycin А1, ensuring lysosomal alkalinization and allowing one to detect the increased enzyme activity typical for the aging cells (SA-β-Gal). As a result, the significantly increased levels of myeloid populations, CD11c+ B cells, double-negative T cells, along with the decreased levels of the CD8α+ dendritic cells, were reported in elderly mice. Furthermore, aging was associated with the significant increase in the levels of SA-β-Gal-positive cells, especially in the populations of myeloid cells. The data obtained suggest that the age-related alterations are of systemic nature and reflect the so-called myeloid shift, as well as accumulation of pro-inflammatory populations in the myeloid and lymphoid compartments.
Keywords: aging, mice, lymphocytes, senescence, immune system aging, β-galactosidase, SA-β-Gal, myelocytes