Fig. 1.

The remodeling effect of TPE treatment on aged blood. A Schematic depicting the study; R0 is before TPE, R1 is 1 month afterwards and before the next round of TPE, and so on. B. Changes in 8-OHdG levels after TPE. S is the subject or patient number. Oxidative DNA damage gradually decreases and becomes statistically lower by the last round, in all patients. 8-OHdG ELISA was performed on each sample in triplicates. C TPE decreases p16 levels in PBMCs of old and middle-aged people, as assayed by qRT-PCR. D TPE upregulates the markers of lymphoid genes (T cells, B cells, NK cells) in old PBMCs. E The lymphoid:myeloid ratio is increased by the rounds of TPE. The myeloid:NK ratio is downregulated by TPE. The ratios of lymphoid:CD68 and NK:CD68 are elevated by the rounds of TPE. These data show a rejuvenation of the lymphoid/myeloid balance, suggesting an improved capacity for productive immune responses. Each gene profiling is performed by qRT-PCR in 3 replicates for each sample. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ns = not significant