Laboratory of Molecular and Translational Endocrinology, Division of Endocrinology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Discipline of Internal Medicine and Laboratory Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 17;13:949928. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.949928. eCollection 2022.
The immune response is remodeled with aging in a process called immunosenescence. Some immunologists conceive immunosenescence as an adaptation of immunity to the aged immune-environment rather than a merely collapsed reactivity of immune cells against microbes and tumor cells. Others believe on an uninterrupted activation of the innate immune system with aging, leading to a low grade, sterile and chronic proinflammatory state called inflammaging. For instance, it is possible that chronic infection by cytomegalovirus leads to persistent production of viral load. This phenomenon offers periodic stimuli to the immune system that ultimately contribute to the remodeling of the immune response. If investigating immunosenescence at the cellular level is already a difficult task, considering the population level is much more complex. However, by studying immunosenescence at the population level, we can extract valuable results with viable applications. While studies with animal models allow scientists to deepen their understanding of the mechanisms of immunosenescence, studying large populations can bring practical innovations to medicine and the health system. Many researchers and funders have dedicated themselves to producing methods for the evaluation of immunosenescence on a large scale, aiming to elucidate new mechanisms by which diseases are established in the elderly. The description of how the immune response is remodeled with aging emerges as a new tool to identify the subset of subjects in which unhealthy aging is a matter of time, to help better individualize clinical management and select patients who may benefit. of early interventions. This review focuses on functional assays as valuable methods for measuring the remodeling of the immune response with aging and discuss their clinical impact. We also recall fundamental concepts for understanding the aging process of the immune response. In addition, we highlight future prospects for immunosenescence research.
免疫反应随着衰老而重塑，这个过程被称为免疫衰老。一些免疫学家将免疫衰老视为免疫系统对衰老免疫环境的一种适应，而不是免疫细胞对微生物和肿瘤细胞反应能力的简单崩溃。另一些人则认为，随着年龄的增长，先天免疫系统会持续激活，导致一种低度、非特异性和慢性促炎状态，称为炎症衰老。例如，巨细胞病毒的慢性感染可能导致病毒载量的持续产生。这种现象为免疫系统提供了周期性的刺激，最终导致免疫反应的重塑。如果在细胞水平上研究免疫衰老已经是一项艰巨的任务，那么考虑到人群水平就更加复杂了。然而，通过在人群水平上研究免疫衰老，我们可以提取出具有实际应用价值的有价值的结果。虽然动物模型的研究可以让科学家深入了解免疫衰老的机制，但研究大人群可以为医学和医疗系统带来切实的创新。许多研究人员和资助者致力于开发大规模评估免疫衰老的方法，旨在阐明疾病在老年人中发生的新机制。描述免疫反应如何随着衰老而重塑，这一新兴工具可以帮助识别出不健康衰老即将发生的人群，从而更好地进行个体化临床管理，并选择可能受益于早期干预的患者。本综述重点介绍了功能检测作为衡量免疫反应随衰老重塑的有价值方法，并讨论了它们的临床影响。我们还回顾了理解免疫反应衰老过程的基本概念。此外，我们还强调了免疫衰老研究的未来前景。
