Improvement of leukocyte functions in young prematurely aging mice after a 5-week ingestion of a diet supplemented with biscuits enriched in antioxidants

In our previous studies, diet supplementation with therapeutic thiolic antioxidants improved the function of peritoneal leukocytes from mice, especially in adult prematurely aging mice (PAM). In the present work, we have studied the effects of ingestion during 5 weeks of a diet supplemented with 20% (wt/wt) of biscuits enriched with antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc, and selenium) on several immune functions of peritoneal leukocytes from young PAM. The results show that, in macrophages, chemotaxis and phagocytosis as well as the intracellular free radical levels, which are depressed in PAM in comparison with the control non-prematurely aging mice (NPAM), increase after supplementation, especially in the PAM. An increase also occurs in lymphocyte chemotaxis, proliferative response to the mitogen concanavalin A, and interleukin-2 release, as well as in natural killer cell activity. However, the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which increases with aging, decreases after 5 weeks of supplementation. As a well preserved function of the immune system is an excellent marker of health and longevity, the improvement of leukocyte functions after ingestion of the present diet suggests that this antioxidant supplementation may be useful for the preservation of health and functional longevity in aging populations.