Oxidative stress is associated with both healthy aging and age-related disease states. In connection with oxidative stress, immunity is also a major component as a result of the chronic, low-grade
inflammation associated with the development of tissue aging. Here we show that long-term treatment with the
antioxidant tempol extends life-span in mice.
Tempol-treated mice exhibited a reduction in mortality at 20 months.
Tempol drinking did not have any effect on
body weight, amount of visceral adipose tissue, or plasma biochemical parameters in aged mice. Body temperature of aged control mice (which drank only water) was significantly lower than young mice, but this reduction of body temperature was partially restored in aged mice which drank
tempol. Plasma
thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and
C-reactive protein were significantly increased in the control aged mice compared with young mice, but levels of both were normalized by
tempol drinking. One of the
endogenous antioxidants,
ascorbic acid, was significantly increased in the plasma of mice which consumed
tempol. The proportion of CD4 lymphocytes in the blood of aged
tempol-treated mice was partially increased in comparison to aged control mice. These results suggest that the reduction of mortality by
tempol is due to amelioration of chronic
inflammation and improved function of the immune system through
antioxidant effects.