Inflammaging and anti-inflammaging: a systemic perspective on aging and longevity emerged from studies in humans.
A large part of the aging phenotype, including immunosenescence, is explained by an imbalance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory networks, which results in the low grade chronic pro-inflammatory status we proposed to call inflammaging. Within this perspective, healthy aging and longevity are likely the result not only of a lower propensity to mount inflammatory responses but also of efficient anti-inflammatory networks, which in normal aging fail to fully neutralize the inflammatory processes consequent to the lifelong antigenic burden and exposure to damaging agents. Such a global imbalance can be a major driving force for frailty and common age-related pathologies, and should be addressed and studied within an evolutionary-based systems biology perspective. Evidence in favor of this conceptualization largely derives from studies in humans. We thus propose that inflammaging can be flanked by anti-inflammaging as major determinants not only of immunosenescence but eventually of global aging and longevity.
Franceschi
Claudio
C
Department of Experimental Pathology, University of Bologna, via S. Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy. claudio.franceschi@unibo.it
Capri
Miriam
M
Monti
Daniela
D
Giunta
Sergio
S
Olivieri
Fabiola
F
Sevini
Federica
F
Panourgia
Maria Panagiota
MP
Invidia
Laura
L
Celani
Laura
L
Scurti
Maria
M
Cevenini
Elisa
E
Castellani
Gastone C
GC
Salvioli
Stefano
S
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology*; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology*
D018836:Inflammation Mediators