Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 52, Issue 3 B152-B158, Copyright © 1997 by The Gerontological Society of America

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Modulation by food restriction of intracellular calcium signaling in parotid acinar cells of aging Fischer 344 rats

JG Olsen, MA Salih, JL Harrison, I Herrera, MF Luther, DN Kalu, MD Lifschitz, MS Katz and CK Yeh
Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA.

Previous studies suggest that alpha 1-adrenergic (alpha 1-AR)-induced intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) mobilization in rat parotid acinar cells declines with age. In this study, we examined the effects of food restriction on alpha 1-AR and muscarinic-stimulated [Ca2+]i mobilization in parotid acinar cells during aging. [Ca2+]i levels in response to the alpha 1-AR agonist epinephrine and the muscarinic agonist carbachol were evaluated in Fura-2-loaded parotid acinar cells from ad libitum-fed (AL) and food-restricted (FR) Fischer 344 male rats at 4, 6, 14, and 24 months of age. [Ca2+]i responses to epinephrine and carbachol (10 microM) were significantly reduced (48% and 35%, respectively; p < .05) in cells from 24-month-old AL rats as compared to younger AL rats. In contrast, no significant reduction of epinephrine and carbachol responses was observed in 24-month-old FR animals. An age-related increase in basal [Ca2+]i (peak around 14 months; p < .02) was observed in both AL and FR rats. In addition, basal [Ca2+]i was higher in FR than in AL rats at 14 and 24 months of age (p < .02). These studies suggest that FR partially attenuates or delays age-related impairments in alpha 1-AR- and muscarinic- cholinergic signal transduction systems of parotid acinar cells. Basal [Ca2+]i also appears to be altered during aging and by FR.

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