title: Inflammaging and Anti-Inflammaging: The Role of Cytokines in Extreme Longevity.
abstract: Longevity and aging are two sides of the same coin, as they both derive from the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Aging is a complex, dynamic biological process characterized by continuous remodeling. One of the most recent theories on aging focuses on immune response, and takes into consideration the activation of subclinical, chronic low-grade inflammation which occurs with aging, named "inflammaging". Long-lived people, especially centenarians, seem to cope with chronic subclinical inflammation through an anti-inflammatory response, called therefore "anti-inflammaging". In the present review, we have focused our attention on the contrast between inflammaging and anti-inflammaging systems, by evaluating the role of cytokines and their impact on extreme longevity. Cytokines are the expression of a network involving genes, polymorphisms and environment, and are involved both in inflammation and anti-inflammation. We have described the role of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, IL-22, IL-23, TNF-α, IFN-γ as pro-inflammatory cytokines, of IL-1Ra, IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β1 as anti-inflammatory cytokines, and of lipoxin A4 and heat shock proteins as mediators of cytokines. We believe that if inflammaging is a key to understand aging, anti-inflammaging may be one of the secrets of longevity.
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola Lucia
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Minciullo
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy. catalanoa@unime.it.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.affiliation: Unit of Internal Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mandraffino
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casciaro
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crucitti
authors.affiliation: Unit For Metabolic Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maltese
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Nunziata
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lasco
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gangemi
authors.affiliation: Unit and School of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Basile
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D059647:Gene-Environment Interaction; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D008136:Longevity / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: Aging; Anti-inflammaging; Cytokine; Inflammaging; Longevity