The immunomarker of aging and the modulatory effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on the dysfunction of lymphocytes in the elderly.
This study examined an immunomarker of aging and evaluated the modulatory effect of Chinese medicinal herbs (CMH) on the immune function of lymphocytes in the elderly. Forty-seven elderly and fifteen young persons were selected as study subjects. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were isolated by Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation. The responsive proliferation was investigated by means of the 3H-TdR incorporation procedure. The phenotype and receptor of lymphocytes were measured using indirect immunofluorescence. Both Rg1 and Gy-P significantly increased the responsive proliferation of lymphocytes in the elderly, p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively. Rg1 also had a stimulatory effect on the receptor, CD25, and phenotype, CD45RA, CD45RO, in lymphocytes in aged persons. The immunomarker of aging was established by multiparametric indications on the basis of study at the cellular and molecular levels. The possibility exists that a lowered immune function can be reversed with modulation. In the near future, a highly purified, nontoxic, and more effective immunomodulator could be produced from CMH as an antiaging drug.