Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health · Jul 16, 2026

Chemokine levels in the murine brain from early postnatal development to aging

By Dantas DP, Campos RMP, Galvani RGA et al.

Cytokines and chemokines are key mediators of immune-brain communication and play important roles in central nervous system development, homeostasis, and aging. While individual cytokines and chemokines have been implicated in neurodevelopmental and age-related processes, a systematic characterization of their expression in the brain across the lifespan is lacking. Here, we performed a multiplex analysis of cytokine and chemokine levels in whole-brain homogenates from C57BL/6 mice spanning early postnatal life to advanced aging (postnatal day 3 to 24 months). Using a multiplex immunoassay, we quantified 21 chemokines and 9 cytokines and identified distinct age-associated expression patterns. Several chemokines exhibited elevated levels during early postnatal development, whereas others were selectively increased in the aged brain. Notably, a subset of chemokines displayed biphasic expression, with higher levels during both early life and aging. Cytokine analysis revealed increased levels of IL-1β and IL-2 during early postnatal development, while aging was associated with elevated TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-4. Together, these data provide a descriptive resource of cytokine and chemokine expression in the mouse brain across the lifespan, highlighting life stage-specific immune signatures that may differentially influence immune cell trafficking, neuron-glia interactions, and brain function during neural development and aging.

doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101308 Open access PubMed 42502426 Mechanisms