The "Aging Factor" Eotaxin-1 (CCL11) Is Detectable in Transfusion Blood Products and Increases with the Donor's Age

• Published in: Frontiers in aging neuroscience 2017-12, Vol.9, p.402-402
• Main Authors: Hoefer, Julia, Luger, Markus, Dal-Pont, Christian, Culig, Zoran, Schennach, Harald, Jochberger, Stefan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Atherosclerosis; Blood & organ donations; blood components; Blood donors; Blood levels; Blood products; Blood transfusion; Blood transfusions; Chemokines; Cognitive ability; cognitive function; Dementia disorders; Eotaxin; eotaxin-1; Heart surgery; Hospitals; Immunology; Inflammation; Memory; Neurogenesis; Neuroscience; Parabiosis; Pathogens; Prostate; Urology
• ISSN: 1663-4365; 1663-4365
• DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2017.00402

: High blood levels of the chemokine eotaxin-1 (CCL11) have recently been associated with aging and dementia, as well as impaired memory and learning in humans. Importantly, eotaxin-1 was shown to pass the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and has been identified as crucial mediator of decreased neurogenesis and cognitive impairment in young mice after being surgically connected to the vessel system of old animals in a parabiosis model. It thus has to be assumed that differences in eotaxin-1 levels between blood donors and recipients might influence cognitive functions also in humans. However, it is unknown if eotaxin-1 is stable during processing and storage of transfusion blood components. This study assesses eotaxin-1 concentrations in fresh-frozen plasma (FFP), erythrocyte concentrate (EC), and platelet concentrate (PC) in dependence of storage time as well as the donor's age and gender. : Eotaxin-1 was measured in FFP ( = 168), EC ( = 160) and PC ( = 8) ready-to-use for transfusion employing a Q-Plex immunoassay for eotaxin-1. Absolute quantification of eotaxin-1 was performed with Q-view software. : Eotaxin-1 was consistently detected at a physiological level in FFP and EC but not PC. Eotaxin-1 levels were comparable in male and female donors but increased significantly with rising age of donors in both, FFP and EC. Furthermore, eotaxin-1 was not influenced by storage time of either blood component. Finally, eotaxin-1 is subject to only minor fluctuations within one donor over a longer period of time. : Eotaxin-1 is detectable and stable in FFP and EC and increases with donor's age. Considering the presumed involvement in aging and cognitive malfunction, differences in donor- and recipient eotaxin-1 levels might affect mental factors after blood transfusion.