Can blocking inflammation enhance immunity during aging?

Aging is a global burden, and the increase in life span does not increase in parallel with health span. Therefore, older adults are currently living longer with chronic diseases, increased infections, and cancer. A characteristic of aging is the presence of chronic low-grade inflammation that is cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 2020-05, Vol.145 (5), p.1323-1331
Main Authors: Chambers, Emma S., Akbar, Arne N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - immunology
Animals
Humans
Immunity
Inflammaging
Inflammation - drug therapy
Inflammation - immunology
p38-MAP Kinase
senescence
senolytics
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Summary:Aging is a global burden, and the increase in life span does not increase in parallel with health span. Therefore, older adults are currently living longer with chronic diseases, increased infections, and cancer. A characteristic of aging is the presence of chronic low-grade inflammation that is characterized by elevated concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein, which has been termed inflammaging. Previous studies have demonstrated that chronic inflammation interferes with T-cell response and macrophage function and is also detrimental for vaccine responses. This raises the question of whether therapeutic strategies that reduce inflammation may be useful for improving immunity in older adults. In this review we discuss the potential causes of inflammaging, the cellular source of the inflammatory mediators, and the mechanisms by which inflammation may inhibit immunity. Finally, we describe existing interventions that target inflammation that have been used to enhance immunity during aging.
ISSN:0091-6749
1097-6825
DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2020.03.016