Age-related aging of the immune system (7)
Between the death of immune cells and the activation of cytokine synthesis
Immuno senescence in aging: between immune cells depletion and cytokines up-regulation
Maria Teresa Ventura et al., Clinical and Molecular Allergy, 2017.
Translated by Evgenia Ryabtseva
The beginning of the article is here.
For links, see the original article.
Immunological risk phenotype in the process of physiological aging
According to the results of recent studies, the phenotype of immunological risk is a prognostic factor for the development of cognitive disorders and, as described by a number of authors, predicts mortality in 58% of cases over the next 4 years. The phenotype of immunological aging was determined by a group of Swedish researchers in the framework of work involving people aged 80-90 and 90-100 years. The authors identified a number of characteristic "markers" of this phenotype, including an inversion of the CD4/CD8 ratio, an increase in the number of CD8 CD28 memory cells/effector cells, an increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6, a decrease in the number of B-lifocytes and a pronounced seropositive reaction to cytomegalovirus.
The pro-inflammatory profile, which is formed as a result of the interaction between the genotype and environmental factors, acquires strategic importance with age. Increased cytokine secretion, also correlated with the effect of cytomegalovirus infection, is the cause of "dysfunctional" aging. Cytomegalovirus-specific lymphocytes, both CD4+ and CD8+, have short telomeres that cause chromosomal instability and disruption of DNA damage repair processes, which leads to impaired growth and/or apoptosis. A possible consequence of this may be the expansion of such cells, which may lead to an increase in the incidence of infectious diseases and neoplasms.
Conclusion
As described above, the aging of the immune system is an inevitable process typical of living beings. Many cells of the immune system go through this process, but it proceeds differently in different people. The development of a pro-inflammatory cytokine phenotype, balanced by an anti-inflammatory profile, can allow a person to live to a very old age without developing disability. Correct modulation of immune responses and the phenomenon of apoptosis can be a useful mechanism for suppressing the development of age-related degenerative diseases, as well as inflammatory diseases and neoplastic diseases to ensure "successful" aging.
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