The impact of age on long-term behavioral and neurochemical parameters in an animal model of severe sepsis.

• The 180-day-old rats present higher levels of brain inflammation and sepsis has additive effect • Microglia from 180-day-old rats produce higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines • Systemic inflammation has additive effect on the physiological process of aging This study aimed to evaluate behavioral and neurochemical parameters in adult (180-day-old) and young (60-day-old) rats subjected to sepsis. Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and perforation (CLP). Thirty days after surgery, behavioral tests were performed, and the β-amyloid content, oxidative damage, and cytokine levels were measured in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. In both adult and young rats, sepsis impaired the inhibitory avoidance task performance and increased immobility time in the forced swimming test. However, the adult septic rats had a higher immobility time compared to the young rats. Both sepsis and aging induced brain inflammation and oxidative damage and increased Aβ content. Sepsis along with aging had additive effects on hippocampal interleukin-1 levels and prefrontal carbonyl levels. Taken together, our results suggest that age has a minor influence on brain inflammation and behavioral alterations observed in septic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]