Cakman I, Rohwer J, Schütz R M, Kirchner H, Rink L
Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Lübeck School of Medicine, Germany.
Mech Ageing Dev. 1996 Jun 25;87(3):197-209. doi: 10.1016/0047-6374(96)01708-3.
We investigated the influence of zinc and its binding proteins on the immune system in 21 elderly and 20 young subjects. We detected a deficiency of zinc in the serum of the elderly. Albumin levels were within physiological range, but alpha 2-macroglobulin was significantly increased in the serum of elderly subjects. Using a whole blood assay, we found decreased production of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and soluble interleukin-2 receptors (SIL-2R) in the elderly, whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) production was greater than in the young controls. To exclude cellular defects, we measured lymphocyte subpopulations. In elderly subjects, we detected lower quantities of CD8+, CD8+/CD45RA+ and CD4+/CD45RO+ cells, but not CD4+ cells, than in young subjects. Other lymphocyte subpopulations were comparable for both groups. These findings suggest a dysregulation between TH1 cells and TH2 cells in the elderly, which may be a result of long-term zinc deficiency. Zinc reconstitution showed no beneficial effects as measured by T cell activity.
我们研究了锌及其结合蛋白对21名老年人和20名年轻人免疫系统的影响。我们检测到老年人血清中锌缺乏。白蛋白水平在生理范围内，但老年受试者血清中α2-巨球蛋白显著升高。通过全血检测，我们发现老年人中γ干扰素（IFN-γ）和可溶性白细胞介素-2受体（SIL-2R）的产生减少，而白细胞介素-10（IL-10）的产生比年轻对照组更多。为排除细胞缺陷，我们检测了淋巴细胞亚群。与年轻受试者相比，我们在老年受试者中检测到CD8 +、CD8 + / CD45RA +和CD4 + / CD45RO +细胞数量较低，但CD4 +细胞数量没有差异。两组的其他淋巴细胞亚群相当。这些发现表明老年人TH1细胞和TH2细胞之间存在失调，这可能是长期锌缺乏的结果。通过T细胞活性检测，锌补充没有显示出有益效果。
