Human innate immunosenescence: causes and consequences for immunity in old age

A Panda, A Arjona, Elizabeth Sapey, F Bai, E Fikrig, RR Montgomery, Janet Lord, AC Shaw

Research output: Contribution to journalReview article

315 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The past decade has seen an explosion in research focusing on innate immunity. Through a wide range of mechanisms including phagocytosis, intracellular killing and activation of proinflammatory or antiviral cytokine production, the cells of the innate immune system initiate and support adaptive immunity. The effects of aging on innate immune responses remain incompletely understood, particularly in humans. Here we review advances in the study of human immunosenescence in the diverse cells of the innate immune system, including neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, natural killer and natural killer T (NKT) cells and dendritic cells-with a focus on consequences for the response to infection or vaccination in old age.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)325-333
Number of pages9
JournalTrends in Immunology
Volume30
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2009

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