Donor Age Affects Behavior and Sensibility of Bone Marrow Cells to Copper Ions in Primary Culture

Abstract

In the primary culture of bone marrow cells obtained from young (3-month-old) and old (20-month-old) rats, the change in the number of cells from day 0 to day 4, the pattern of cell morphotypes, and the lifespan of myelocytes, metamyelocytes, and stab and segment neutrophils was studied. It was shown that the number of bone marrow cells obtained from old animals (20-month-old) in the primary culture increased faster than the number of bone marrow cells in young animals (3-month-old). The presence of Copper-induced liver fibrosis in animals had a different effect on the rate of increase in the number of bone marrow cells obtained in young and old animals. The administration of 4 and 8 mmol of CuSO₄ ⋅ 5H2O into the culture of bone marrow cells in young and old animals caused a dose-dependent inhibition of proliferative processes in the cells of young animals. When copper ions were administered into the culture of bone marrow cells obtained from old animals, the inhibition of proliferation was less pronounced than for young animals, and a concentration of 8 mmol of CuSO₄ ⋅ 5H₂O inhibited proliferation to a lesser extent than 4 mmol of CuSO₄ ⋅ 5H₂O. The presence of liver fibrosis in animals accelerated the process of bone marrow cell death in the primary culture in young and old animals. However, this effect was more pronounced in young animals. It is suggested that bone marrow cells undergo such epigenetic changes, which change their functional properties, during ontogeny.