TY - JOUR
T1 - Immunosenescence and its hallmarks
T2 - How to oppose aging strategically? A review of potential options for therapeutic intervention
AU - Aiello, Anna
AU - Farzaneh, Farzin
AU - Candore, Giuseppina
AU - Caruso, Calogero
AU - Davinelli, Sergio
AU - Gambino, Caterina Maria
AU - Ligotti, Mattia Emanuela
AU - Zareian, Nahid
AU - Accardi, Giulia
PY - 2019/9/1
Y1 - 2019/9/1
N2 - Aging is accompanied by remodeling of the immune system. With time, this leads to a decline in immune efficacy, resulting in increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, diminished responses to vaccination, and a susceptibility to age-related inflammatory diseases. An age-associated immune alteration, extensively reported in previous studies, is the reduction in the number of peripheral blood naïve cells, with a relative increase in the frequency of memory cells. These two alterations, together with inflamm-aging, are considered the hallmarks of immunosenescence. Because aging is a plastic process, it is influenced by both nutritional and pharmacological interventions. Therefore, the role of nutrition and of immunomodulation in immunosenescence is discussed, due to the multifactorial influence on these hallmarks. The close connection between nutrition, intake of bioactive nutrients and supplements, immune function, and inflammation demonstrate the key role of dietary strategies as regulators of immune response and inflammatory status, hence as possible modulators of the rate of immunosenescence. In addition, potential options for therapeutic intervention are clarified. In particular, the use of interleukin-7 as growth factor for naïve T cells, the function of checkpoint inhibitors in improving T cell responses during aging and, the potential of drugs that inhibit mitogen-activated protein kinases and their interaction with nutrient signaling pathways are discussed. Finally, it is suggested that the inclusion of appropriate combinations of toll-like receptor agonists may enhance the efficacy of vaccination in older adults.
AB - Aging is accompanied by remodeling of the immune system. With time, this leads to a decline in immune efficacy, resulting in increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, diminished responses to vaccination, and a susceptibility to age-related inflammatory diseases. An age-associated immune alteration, extensively reported in previous studies, is the reduction in the number of peripheral blood naïve cells, with a relative increase in the frequency of memory cells. These two alterations, together with inflamm-aging, are considered the hallmarks of immunosenescence. Because aging is a plastic process, it is influenced by both nutritional and pharmacological interventions. Therefore, the role of nutrition and of immunomodulation in immunosenescence is discussed, due to the multifactorial influence on these hallmarks. The close connection between nutrition, intake of bioactive nutrients and supplements, immune function, and inflammation demonstrate the key role of dietary strategies as regulators of immune response and inflammatory status, hence as possible modulators of the rate of immunosenescence. In addition, potential options for therapeutic intervention are clarified. In particular, the use of interleukin-7 as growth factor for naïve T cells, the function of checkpoint inhibitors in improving T cell responses during aging and, the potential of drugs that inhibit mitogen-activated protein kinases and their interaction with nutrient signaling pathways are discussed. Finally, it is suggested that the inclusion of appropriate combinations of toll-like receptor agonists may enhance the efficacy of vaccination in older adults.
KW - Aging
KW - Immunomodulation
KW - Immunosenescence
KW - Immunotherapy
KW - Nutrition
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85073145004&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02247
DO - 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02247
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31608061
AN - SCOPUS:85073145004
SN - 1664-3224
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Immunology
JF - Frontiers in Immunology
IS - SEP
M1 - 2247
ER -