Oxidative stress and age-related changes in T cells: is thalassemia a model of accelerated immune system aging?
Iron overload in β-thalassemia major occurs mainly due to blood transfusion, an essential treatment for β-thalassemia major patients, which results in oxidative stress. It has been thought that oxidative stress causes elevation of immune system senescent cells. Under this condition, cells normally enhance in aging, which is referred to as premature immunosenescence. Because there is no animal model for immunosenescence, most knowledge on the immunosenescence pattern is based on induction of immunosenescence. In this review, we describe iron overload and oxidative stress in β-thalassemia major patients and how they make these patients a suitable human model for immunosenescence. We also consider oxidative stress in some kinds of chronic virus infections, which induce changes in the immune system similar to β-thalassemia major. In conclusion, a therapeutic approach used to improve the immune system in such chronic virus diseases, may change the immunosenescence state and make life conditions better for β-thalassemia major patients.
Medical Plants Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Mahdi
M
Ghatreh-Samani
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Nafiseh
N
Esmaeili
Department of Hematology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Masoud
M
Soleimani
Student Research Committee, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Majid
M
Asadi-Samani
Clinical Biochemistry Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Keihan
K
Ghatreh-Samani
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran.
Hedayatolah
H
Shirzad
antioxidant therapy; iron overload; oxidative stress; β-thalassemia major