l-Carnitine l-tartrate (LCLT) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) affect red and white blood cells in aged Sprague–Dawley rats

Abstract Supplementation with either l -carnitine or DHEAS was separately suggested to counteract age-related declines. However, little is known about any interactive effects of these substances, independently promoting mitochondrial energy metabolism, in older individuals. We thus studied the effects of 3 months of daily oral combined supplementation with LCLT and DHEAS on red (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) in male Sprague–Dawley rats by determining RBC and WBC counts, lymphocyte proliferation and interleukin-2 (IL-2) synthesis in spleen lymphocytes after Concanavalin A (ConA) stimulation. Supplementation with LCLT in addition to DHEAS decreased RBCs and increased platelets in the blood of 25-month-old Sprague–Dawley rats, whereas supplementation with DHEAS alone shifted the balance from segmented neutrophile granulocytes to large lymphocytes in differential WBC counts. Based on these results, interactive effects of supplementation with l -carnitine and DHEAS on RBCs and platelets are suggested.