Cell mediated immunity changes in ageing, relative importance of cell subpopulation switches and of nutritional factors.
Decreased T-cell functions with ageing have been extensively described. This review focuses on recent data on changes in T-cell subpopulations related to ageing and their consequences on T-cell proliferation. Increase of immature T cells CD2+ CD3- is an ageing phenomenon related to T-cell declining proliferation. Recently it was shown that increase of immature T cells was due to an increase in different subtypes of the CD2+ CD3- population, double-negative CD2+ CD4- CD8- and double-positive CD2+ CD4+ CD8+ subpopulations, the former being associated with nutritional deficit, the latter with associated diseases. Other authors have focused on decreases of native T cells with parallel increase of memory T cells; such a switch is also relevant to declining T-cell proliferation. This review focuses on two major factors which influence immune ageing; nutritional parameters and antigen exposure.
Lesourd
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BM
Hôpital Charles-Foix, Service de Médecine Nutritionnelle, Ivry Sur-Seine, France.
Meaume
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology