BiogerontologyOct 6, 2026

Sex differences in immune patterns across dog lifespans and short-term effects of anti-aging treatments

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Oct 7, 2026

Abstract

A cohort of 80 Beagles aged 1 to 11 years reveals heterogeneous immune aging patterns across the canine lifespan.

Canine immune aging is characterized by non-linear changes, with certain leukocyte counts decreasing before rising again in older dogs.
Distinct patterns of serum cytokines were observed, varying significantly with age, particularly in male dogs.
No significant age-by-sex interactions were found after correcting for false discovery rates.
A 90-day intervention with rapamycin led to the broadest changes in cytokine responses among young Beagles.
Canagliflozin resulted in narrower cytokine differences while also reducing body weight, whereas dietary restriction reduced weight without affecting immune measures.
Findings provide a foundation for future studies on immune aging in dogs.

Simplified

Canine models are invaluable for translational geroscience, but natural sex-associated immune aging remains under investigated. Here, we characterize the age-associated hematologic and serum cytokine profiles in a controlled cross-sectional cohort of 80 intact laboratory Beagles spanning 1 to 11 years of age. Canine immune aging is heterogeneous and non-linear. While several absolute leukocyte counts declined with age before rising again in geriatric dogs, serum cytokines exhibited distinct, sex-stratified patterns. Although more cytokines varied significantly with age in males than in females, formal age-by-sex interactions did not remain significant after false discovery rate correction. To explore short-term geroprotective responses, we evaluated 24 young beagles following a 90-day intervention with rapamycin, canagliflozin, or dietary restriction. Rapamycin was associated with the broadest endpoint cytokine response. Canagliflozin showed narrower cytokine differences alongside descriptive body-weight reduction, whereas dietary restriction reduced body weight without altering measured immune endpoints. Given the small group sizes and endpoint-only cytokine measurements, these intervention findings remain exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Together, our findings describe stage-specific hematologic changes and sex-stratified cytokine patterns across the canine lifespan and provide a basis for future longitudinal studies.

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Sex differences in immune patterns across dog lifespans and short-term effects of anti-aging treatments

Abstract

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