Hannestad Jonas, Monjil Diego F, Díaz-Esnal Belén, Cobo Juan, Vega José A
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Microsc Res Tech. 2004 Feb 1;63(2):94-101. doi: 10.1002/jemt.20014.
The immune system, especially the thymus, undergoes age-related modifications leading to structural and functional changes in the lymphoid organs and immunocompetent cells. Nevertheless, the consequences of thymic involution in the peripheral pool of T-cells are still a matter of controversy. The control of the thymic function is very complex and involves intrathymic signals, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system. Both thymocytes and thymic stromal cells express receptors for a wide range of hormones, as well as for neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, thus affecting thymocytes maturation. This review summarizes the age-dependent variations in the extrathymic components of the thymic microenvironment, i.e., vegetative nerves and hormones, and the possible effects of those changes in the immune function.
免疫系统，尤其是胸腺，会经历与年龄相关的改变，导致淋巴器官和免疫活性细胞出现结构和功能变化。然而，胸腺退化在外周T细胞库中的后果仍存在争议。胸腺功能的控制非常复杂，涉及胸腺内信号、自主神经系统和内分泌系统。胸腺细胞和胸腺基质细胞都表达多种激素、神经递质和神经肽的受体，从而影响胸腺细胞的成熟。本综述总结了胸腺微环境的胸腺外成分（即营养神经和激素）随年龄的变化，以及这些变化对免疫功能可能产生的影响。
