Abstract
The effects of chronic (40%) food restriction from 6 weeks of age were studied in aging male Fisher 344 rats. When compared with 3-month-old, ad libitum fed rats, pineal N-acetyltranfferase (NAT) activity had declined to less than 30% and pineal and serum levels of melatonin to 40% after 28 months when feeding had been ad libitum. Food restriction significantly retarded this development (P<0.05) giving NAT and melatonin levels which were twice as high as in the ad libitum fed group. Nighttime levels of pineal serotonin (5-HT) were similar in food-restricted and ad libitum fed old rats but were nearly twice as high (P<0.05) as in young rats. There was also a tendency for increased production of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the pineal gland with higher levels of 5-HT. It is concluded that aging in the rat (Fisher 344) is accompanied by a reduction of pineal NAT activity, thereby reducing the production of melatonin and causing a buildup of 5-HT in the pineal gland. It is furthermore proposed that food restriction, which markedly increases the life span and reduces age-related physiological deterioration and diseases in many animals, may mediate some of its effects through a sustained pineal activity in old age.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 66-72 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Brain Research |
Volume | 545 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 5 1991 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Food restriction
- Melatonin
- N-Acetyltransferase
- Pineal
- Rat
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience(all)
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Neurology
- Developmental Biology