Effects of nutraceutical intervention on serum proteins in aged rats

Aging is associated with many pathophysiological changes that could lead to the onset of degenerative disease. Some of the physiological changes that occur with aging include increased inflammation and decreased stem cell proliferation, leading to decreased capacity for tissue regeneration and loss of function. In previous studies, we and others have found nutraceutical intervention to ameliorate some of the deleterious effects associated with aging. In particular, we have previously shown that NT-020, a supplement composed of a proprietary blend of blueberries, green tea, vitamin D3, and carnosine, is able to rescue age-related cognitive deficits, impaired neurogenesis, and inflammation in rats. We have also previously demonstrated that stem cells cultured with old serum showed decreased proliferation; however, when stem cells were cultured in serum from old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020, proliferation did not differ from that of cells cultured with serum from young rats. While it is clear that NT-020 is exerting a therapeutic, anti-aging effect, the mechanisms of action were yet to be fully elucidated.To that end, in the present study, we conducted a bioinformatics experiment to examine the rat proteome of serum from young and old control rats and young and old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020. Serum from old rats showed an increase in some inflammatory and pro-aging factors while serum from old rats given a diet supplemented with NT-020 showed an increase in some anti-aging factors, most notably proteins associated with the complement system and autophagy. A number of immune functions that increase with age were shown to be downregulated with NT-020 treatment. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11357-020-00174-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.