Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of aging on the levels of expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in response to irradiation in rat brain. Male F344×BN rats (4, 16, and 24 months old) received either whole brain irradiation with a single dose of 10 Gy γ-rays or sham-irradiation, and were maintained for 4, 8, and 24h post-irradiation. The expression levels of various pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and matrix metalloproteinases were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). A significant and marked up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was observed in hippocampal regions isolated from irradiated animals at all ages compared with sham-irradiated controls. On the contrary, the expression levels of pro-inflammatory mediators up-regulated by irradiation were significantly attenuated with age. These results demonstrate that radiation-induced pro-inflammatory responses in the brain are significantly influenced by age. (This work was supported by NINDS R01NS056218)

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