Connective tissue ageing: The influence of a lathyrogen (β-aminopropionitrile) on the life span of female C57BL/Icrfa t mice

Abstract

The influence of chronic administration of the lathyrogen β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN), in drinking water, on the survival of female C57BL/Icrfa t mice has been determined. We observed that BAPN treatment, at several different dose rates, resulted in dramatic decreases in survival when the treatment was initiated at approx. 100 days of age; the reduction in survival was independent of dose rate when concentrations of BAPN in the drinking water of 0.5–2.0 mg/ml were used. Thus, the mean expectation of life for the controls was about 880 days and the maximum lifespan was about 1100 days, whereas the mean expectation of life for the groups treated with BAPN from approx. 100 days of age was about 440 days and the maximum lifespan was about 620 days. These results are in marked contrast to those obtained previously with male LAF/J mice when fed BAPN under similar conditions. When BAPN treatment was initiated at approx. 260 days of age, however, the survival of the treated animals was essentially the same as that of the control, untreated animals. That the response of the younger animals was different from that of the older animals was indicated by differences in the further survival of the animals after commencement of the lathyrogen treatment. The lathyrogen-sensitive period, therefore, occurs early during life.