Expression of lymphocyte homing receptors alpha4beta7 and MAdCAM-l in young and old rats

The elderly constitute the most rapidly growing subpopulation in the United States. This age group represents a significant burden on the healthcare system due, in part, to increases in morbidity and mortality associated with an increase in the incidence of intestinal infectious diseases. Our previous studies suggest that impaired homing of IgA immunoblasts from the Peyer's patches to the intestinal lamina propria contributes to the diminished intestinal immune response in the elderly. The present study employs flow cytometry and quantitative immunohistochemistry to assess age-related changes in the numbers of peripheral blood mononuclear cells expressing the homing integrin alpha4beta7 and vascular endothelial cells in the intestine expressing its specific receptor, the address in MAdCAM-1, in inbred Fischer 344 rats. The proportion of alpha4beta7-positive mononuclear cells in young rats is significantly greater than that measured in the blood of senescent animals. Although the density of intestinal lamina propria blood vessels with MAdCAM-1-positive endothelium was greater in young adult rats in comparison to old animals, this difference achieved only borderline statistical significance. This is the first study to examine the expression of these two critical lymphocyte homing molecules as a function of age.