Abstract
Aging is the result of the deterioration of the homeostatic systems (nervous, endocrine, and immune systems), which preserve the organism’s health. We propose that the age-related impairment of these systems is due to the establishment of a chronic oxidative stress situation that leads to low-grade chronic inflammation throughout the immune system’s activity. It is known that the immune system weakens with age, which increases morbidity and mortality. In this context, we describe how the function of immune cells can be used as an indicator of the rate of aging of an individual. In addition to this passive role as a marker, we describe how the immune system can work as a driver of aging by amplifying the oxidative-inflammatory stress associated with aging (oxi-inflamm-aging) and inducing senescence in far tissue cells. Further supporting our theory, we discuss how certain lifestyle conditions (such as social environment, nutrition, or exercise) can have an impact on longevity by affecting the oxidative and inflammatory state of immune cells, regulating immunosenescence and its contribution to oxi-inflamm-aging.
Highlights
The aging process can have multiple definitions depending on the perspective from which it is considered
Uncontrolled reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance leads to inefficient phagocytosis, which results in the increased concentration of several molecules from both immune and non-immune cells that behave as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and that can bind to immune cells and throughout inflammasome and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation induce the production of inflammatory mediators causing inflamm-aging
Understood as the general deterioration of the homeostatic systems, is the consequence of the establishment of a chronic oxidative and inflammatory stress situation that dampens the function of all cells in the organism
Summary
The aging process can have multiple definitions depending on the perspective from which it is considered. There is a functional decline of these homeostatic systems and an impairment in the communication between them [2,4], which translates into a worse capacity to mount an adequate response to a variety of stressors. To further confirm the role of immune cells in the aging process, we show, by modulating the redox and inflammatory state of immune cells and the production of oxidant and pro-inflammatory compounds by these cells, how different situations or conditions, such as the social environment, nutrition, and exercise, can have an impact on the lifespan of the organism
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