Investigation of the effects of young blood plasma administration on intestinal permeability in aged rats

Aging can lead to disruptions in intestinal permeability, potentially causing various health issues. Therefore, discovering potential strategies that can mitigate or reverse these effects of the aging process is crucial for public health. This study investigates the effects of young plasma transfusion on intestinal barrier functions and biomolecular structure in aged rats. In this study, young plasma obtained from 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats was transfused into 24-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats for 30 days. After the transfusion, ileum tissues obtained from the rats were examined. First, the levels of occludin and zona-occludin, tight junction proteins of the intestinal barrier, in these tissues were evaluated using the Western Blot analysis. The results showed that occludin and zona-ocludin protein levels were significantly increased. Subsequently, the biomolecular structures of the ileum tissues were examined using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. FTIR spectroscopy is used to determine infrared absorption bands specific to certain functional groups of molecules, thus revealing lipid, protein, and nucleic acid profiles in the target tissue. Spectroscopy analyses showed a decrease in protein phosphorylation and carbonylation indices and an increase in amide protein after the young plasma transfusion. These changes suggest that the young plasma transfusion could reshape biomolecular structure disruptions caused by the aging process. Lastly, histopathological examination showed an improvement in the villus structure, goblet and Paneth cell density in the ileum of the aged rats given young plasma. These findings suggest that young plasma can improve intestinal barrier functions and structure, alleviating the effects of the aging process. Overall, our study suggests that young plasma transfusion creates positive effects in aged intestinal tissue, thus potentially providing a strategy for preventing or reversing age-related intestinal disorders.