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Does Innate Immunity Get Old?

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Immunosenescence

Part of the book series: Birkhäuser Advances in Infectious Diseases ((BAID))

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Abstract

Innate immune cells are the first to be triggered after infection and represent the first line of defense against pathogens. Molecular mechanisms underlying innate cell recognition and effector functions have been extensively investigated; however, less is known on how these features might be influenced by the aging process. In particular, although alterations in phenotype and functions of different innate cells have been found in aged donors, it is still unclear how aging globally affects innate signatures. It has been proposed that accumulation of a lifetime exposure to environmental factors may trigger an increased production of proinflammatory cytokines and other molecules leading to a chronic inflammatory state known as “inflamm-aging.” However, the exact mechanisms of “inflamm-aging” have not been yet characterized. In this chapter, we try to discuss the main alterations occurring during aging in innate cells, such as granulocytes, antigen-presenting cells (macrophages and dendritic cells) or Natural Killer cells and explain the “inflamm-aging” process.

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  1. Innate Immunity, Deutsches Rheuma Forschungszentrum, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Chiara Romagnani

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  1. Chiara Romagnani
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Correspondence to Chiara Romagnani .

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  1. Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin-Brandenburg Center for, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, Berlin, 13353, Germany

    Andreas Thiel

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Romagnani, C. (2012). Does Innate Immunity Get Old?. In: Thiel, A. (eds) Immunosenescence. Birkhäuser Advances in Infectious Diseases. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0346-0219-8_2

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