Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of CA, Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Aging Dis. 2014 Apr 1;5(2):160-9. doi: 10.14336/AD.2014.0500160. eCollection 2014 Apr.
As the "baby boomers" age, the percentage of the population over sixty-five years of age is increasing rapidly. Chronic disease management is an important component in the care of the elderly. The effects of aging on different organ systems are also pertinent; such as the weakening homeostatic response to injury in the older individuals. Mucosal surfaces have the largest combined surface area in the body and are the site of important host microbe interactions, especially in the gut which is prone to injury, both from local and systemic insult. This susceptibility has been known to increase with age. Therefore it is important to understand the interplay between aging, injury and recovery at the mucosal surface. Sex hormones play an important role in the maintenance of the mucosal barrier function as well as the mucosa associated immune function in both genders. Menopause in women is a defined time period in which major hormonal changes occur such as a decline in systemic estradiol levels. The differential levels of sex hormones contribute to the sexual dimorphism seen in response to injury at the mucosal surface, prior to and following menopause. Thus the effect of sex hormone and aging on mucosal mechanisms in response to injury is an important area of investigation.
随着“婴儿潮”一代年龄的增长，65 岁以上人口的比例正在迅速增加。慢性病管理是老年人护理的一个重要组成部分。衰老对不同器官系统的影响也很重要；例如，老年人对损伤的内稳态反应减弱。黏膜表面是体内最大的联合表面积，是宿主与微生物相互作用的重要部位，尤其是在肠道，肠道容易受到损伤，无论是局部还是全身损伤。这种易感性随着年龄的增长而增加。因此，了解衰老、损伤和黏膜表面恢复之间的相互作用非常重要。性激素在维持黏膜屏障功能以及两性的黏膜相关免疫功能方面发挥着重要作用。女性的绝经期是一个特定的时期，在此期间会发生重大的激素变化，如全身雌二醇水平下降。性激素水平的差异导致了绝经前后黏膜表面损伤反应中的性别二态性。因此，性激素和衰老对黏膜损伤反应机制的影响是一个重要的研究领域。
