A longitudinal metabolic profile of Swiss albino mice during aging

The consequence of aging on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of the Swiss albino mouse was examined in a complete aging profile. The profile was developed by obtaining groups of at least 10 weanling mice at 2-3 month intervals for approximately a 2-year period. Body weight plateaued at approximately 10 months-of-age. Maximal heart and liver weights were found in 3-month-old mice. Plasma glucose concentration was highest in 1-month-old mice, declined rapidly during the first 3 months-of-age and then gradually throughout the profile. Liver glycogen content spiked sharply in 2-month-old mice, decreasing sharply to a level maintained in mature animals. A second peak in hepatic glycogen occurred in 15-month-old mice with a precipitous decrease taking place in older animals. Plasma concentrations of glycerol, 3-hydroxybutyrate and triacylglycerols, indices of lipid metabolism, were remarkably constant and showed no consistent trend with age. The level of triacylglycerols in the heart peaked in 2-month-old mice and then decreased gradually in older animals. The maximal content of triacylglycerols in the liver was found in 10- to 20-month-old mice. Hepatic levels of triacylglycerols decreased precipitously in senescent Swiss albino mice.