Rapamycin mitigates erythrocyte membrane transport functions and oxidative stress during aging in rats

Abstract

Erythrocyte membrane is a suitable model to study various metabolic and physiological functions as it undergoes variety of biochemical changes during aging. An age-dependent modulatory effect of rapamycin on erythrocyte membrane functions is completely unknown. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of rapamycin on age-dependent impaired activities of transporters/exchangers, altered levels of redox biomarkers, viz. protein carbonyl (PC), lipid hydroperoxides (LHs), total thiol (–SH), sialic acid (SA) and intracellular calcium ion [Ca²⁺]i, and osmotic fragility of erythrocyte membrane. A significant reduction in membrane-bound activities of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) and Ca²⁺-ATPase (PMCA), and levels of –SH and SA was observed along with a simultaneous induction in Na⁺/H⁺ exchanger (NHE) activity and levels of [Ca²⁺]i, PC, LH and osmotic fragility in old-aged rats. Rapamycin was found to be a promising age-delaying drug that significantly reversed the aging-induced impaired activities of membrane-bound ATPases and altered levels of redox biomarkers.

Keywords:

• Aging
• erythrocyte membrane
• ion transporters
• oxidative stress biomarkers
• rapamycin

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Additional information

Funding

University Grants Commission10.13039/501100001501

A. K. Singh would like to acknowledge Dr. D. S. Kothari Post Doctoral Fellowship scheme of University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, for providing financial support (F0.4–2/2006(BSR)/BL/14–15/0326) and fellowship. Department of Biochemistry is supported by a FIST grant of DST-SERB, and UGC-SAP Grant, Government of India.