Improvement of the macrophage functions in prematurely ageing mice by a diet supplemented with thiolic antioxidants.

In a model of prematurely ageing mice, based on the different behavioral response in a simple T-maze test, we have studied in the present work the effect of a short-term (five-weeks) ingestion of thioproline (TP) plus n-acetylcysteine (NAC) (0.1% w/w of each antioxidant) on several functions of peritoneal macrophages from female Swiss mice. The antioxidant treatment increased the chemotaxis, phagocytosis and IL-1beta release and decreased the superoxide levels and TNFalpha production. These effects were more striking in macrophages from prematurely-ageing mice (PAM), than in those from the control group or non-prematurely-ageing mice (NPAM), bringing the above functions of the PAM to the NPAM levels. Diet supplementation with these thiolic compounds, namely TP and NAC, seems an effective therapy for protection against early immune decline in prematurely ageing mice.