Comparative study of the phagocytic activity of neutrophilic granulocytes in people of Abkhazia of elderly, senile age and centenarian

Аuthor: Trapsh Hamida Zurabovna

Сo-authors: Gorukhchieva Faina Aftondilovna, Amaba Sima Tarielovna, Smyr Sabina Jamalovna, Matua Alisa Zaurovna

SSI «Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia»

Abkhazia, Sukhum

From an evolutionary point of view, age-related changes in the immune system are proposed to be considered as adaptive. Centenarians can be considered as a role model for successful physiological aging. The state of their immunity, which provided them with such a long life, can be taken as one of the factors of longevity [1, 2, 3].

Studies of the absorption and digestion capacity of neutrophilic granulocytes of elderly, senile age and centenarian people of Abkhazia in a comparative aspect.

In this research 103 “relatively healthy” residents of Abkhazia, aged 60 to 113 years were examined. Based on the WHO age classification, the subjects were divided into three groups: the elderly – from 60 to 74 years old, the senile age – from 75 to 89 years old and the centenarians (geronts) – from 90 to 113 years old. The biomaterial, whole blood with EDTA and heparin, was researched by flow cytometry.

Analysis of the obtained data revealed an increase in the relative content of neutrophilic granulocytes (NG) with aging. The analysis of the data obtained revealed a trend towards a decrease in the relative content of neutrophilic granulocytes (NG) in peripheral blood with age, with the preservation of the microbicidal activity of NG in long-livers. It is known that the innate immunity is subject to less age-related changes than the adaptive [2]. Absorption phagocytic activity of neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages may even increase with age. At the same time, intracellular bactericidal activity, which is a measure of the effectiveness of the phagocytic reaction, usually weakens with aging [3]. In our study, when comparing the absorption (% FAN) and digesting (IS) oxygen-dependent microbicidal ability of neutrophilic granulocytes in patients of three age groups, a more pronounced activity was found in the elderly group. However, when comparing the indicators of the senile group with centenarians, the level of phagocytic activity was significantly higher in geronts (p ≤ 0.05).

The age-related tendency towards a decrease in innate immunity, which was outlined in the elderly, became more pronounced in people of senile age, mainly in relation to the microbicidal activity of nitrophilic granulocytes. At the same time, a more preserved phagocytic ability was revealed in centenarians, manifested in a significantly higher both absorption and digestion activity of NG in relation to the group of examined people of senile age. The revealed possibilities of NG, along with other immunological features of geronts, allow them, among other things, to reach such longevity in relative health.

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