Serum biomarkers of aging in the Brown Norway rat

Serum biomarkers to identify susceptibility to disease in aged humans are well researched. On the other hand, our understanding of biomarkers in animal models of aging is limited. Hence, we applied a commercially available panel of 58 serum analytes to screen for possible biomarkers of aging in 4, 12, and 24 month old Brown Norway rats. We found that serum levels of 5 of the 58 analytes were significantly affected by age: C-reactive protein (CRP), myoglobin, macrophage derived chemokine-2 (MDC), fibroblast growth factor-basic, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Among these analytes, CRP was the only one that increased with aging. The variability of CRP and MDC-2 was relatively low compared to the other analytes of the panel. It is concluded that CRP and possibly MDC-2 are candidates for biomarkers of aging in the BN rat.

► We searched for potential serum biomarkers of aging in the Brown Norway rat.
► 58 serum analytes were assessed in 4, 12, and 24 month old male rats.
► Five of 58 serum analytes were significantly affected by age.
► C-reactive protein and macrophage derived chemokine were deemed as reliable indicators of age with relatively low variability.