ABSTRACT
Inhibitory Role of Antioxidant Vitamin E on Old Macrophage PGE2 Production. Age-related increases in Mφ production of PGE2 contribute to a number of age-associated diseases, particularly in the immune system. We were able to show that Mφ production of PGE2, especially its increase with age, can be modified by dietary vitamin E supplementation. In our previous study (9), in which we fed pathogen-free male young (6 mo) and old (24 mo) C57BL/ 6NIA mice purified diets containing 30 µg/g (adequate level) or 500 µg/g vitamin E (RRR-α-tocopherol acetate) for 30 d, Mφ from old mice fed the control diet had significantly higher production of PGE2 than those from young mice fed the control diet. In the same study, vitamin E supplementation completely eliminated this age-related increase in PGE2 production so that there was no significant difference in PGE2 production between old mice fed 500 µg/g vitamin E and young mice fed control or vitamin E-supplemented diets. Vitamin E supplementation, however, did not have a significant effect on PGE2 production in young mice.
