Next steps in mechanisms of inflammaging (original) (raw)

Oxidative stress, inflammation, dysfunctional redox homeostasis and autophagy cause age-associated diseases

Exploration of Medicine

Aging and age-associated diseases (AADs) are growing risk factors in societies worldwide. During aging, there is an accumulation of excessive oxygen free radicals [reactive oxygen species (ROS)] and nitrogen free radicals [reactive nitrogen species (RNS)] due to dysfunctional mitochondria, dysregulated catalytic activities of cytochrome P450 (CYP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) phosphate [NADP(H)] oxidase (NOX), cyclooxygenases, and nitric oxide synthases (NOS) over the threshold of physiological levels, creating oxidative stress (OS). Excessive ROS and RNS oxidize, break, denature, and sometimes cause aggregations of key cellular components including DNA, proteins, and lipids. Normally, these denatured molecules and their aggregates are eliminated by autophagy (AP) and ubiquitin-proteosome system (UPS). However, these two proteostatic mechanisms are impaired as age progresses. As a result, these abnormal molecules turn into damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), re...

Molecular inflammation: Underpinnings of aging and age-related diseases

Ageing Research Reviews, 2009

Recent scientific studies have advanced the notion of chronic inflammation as a major risk factor underlying aging and age-related diseases. In this review, low-grade, unresolved, molecular inflammation is described as an underlying mechanism of aging and age-related diseases, which may serve as a bridge between normal aging and age-related pathological processes. Accumulated data strongly suggest that continuous (chronic) upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., TNF-a, IL-1b, IL-6, COX-2, iNOS) are induced during the aging process due to an age-related redox imbalance that activates many pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, including the NF-kB signaling pathway. These proinflammatory molecular events are discussed in relation to their role as basic mechanisms underlying aging and age-related diseases. Further, the anti-inflammatory actions of aging-retarding caloric restriction and exercise are reviewed. Thus, the purpose of this review is to describe the molecular roles of age-related physiological functional declines and the accompanying chronic diseases associated with aging. This new view on the role of molecular inflammation as a mechanism of aging and age-related pathogenesis can provide insights into potential interventions that may affect the aging process and reduce age-related diseases, thereby promoting healthy longevity. ß

Natural compounds and aging: between autophagy and inflammasome

BioMed research international, 2014

Aging, a natural physiological process, is characterized by a progressive loss of physiological integrity. Loss of cellular homeostasis in the aging process results from different sources, including changes in genes, cell imbalance, and dysregulation of the host-defense systems. Innate immunity dysfunctions during aging are connected with several human pathologies, including metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases. Recent studies have clearly indicated that the decline in autophagic capacity that accompanies aging results in the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and further process dysfunction of the NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in the macrophages, which produce the proinflammatory cytokines. These factors impair cellular housekeeping and expose cells to higher risk in many age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes. In this review, we investigated t...

Function, Oxidative, and Inflammatory Stress Parameters in Immune Cells as Predictive Markers of Lifespan throughout Aging

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

According to the oxidative-inflammatory theory of aging, there is a link between the function, the oxidative-inflammatory stress state of immune cells, and longevity. However, it is unknown which immune cell parameters can predict lifespan and if there would be any changes in this prediction, depending on the age of the subject. Therefore, a longitudinal study in mice was performed analysing immune function (chemotaxis of macrophages and lymphocytes, phagocytosis of macrophages, natural killer (NK) activity, and lymphoproliferation capacity), antioxidant (catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities as well as reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations), oxidant (oxidized glutathione (GSSG), superoxide anion, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations), and inflammation-related markers (basal release of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) in peritoneal leukocytes from mice at the adult, mature, old, very old, and long-lived ages (40, 56, 72, 96, and...

Oxidative-Inflammatory Stress in Immune Cells from Adult Mice with Premature Aging

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Oxidative and inflammatory stresses are closely related processes, which contribute to age-associated impairments that affect the regulatory systems such as the immune system and its immunosenescence. Therefore, the aim of this work was to confirm whether an oxidative/inflammatory stress occurs in immune cells from adult mice with premature aging, similar to that shown in leukocytes from chronologically old animals, and if this results in immunosenescence. Several oxidants/antioxidants and inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in peritoneal leukocytes from adult female CD1 mice in two models of premature aging—(a) prematurely aging mice (PAM) and (b) mice with the deletion of a single allele (hemi-zygotic: HZ) of the tyrosine hydroxylase (th) gene (TH-HZ), together with cells from chronologically old animals. Several immune function parameters were also studied in peritoneal phagocytes and lymphocytes. The same oxidants and antioxidants were also analyzed in spleen ...

Ageing and Low-Level Chronic Inflammation: The Role of the Biological Clock

Antioxidants

Ageing is a multifactorial physiological manifestation that occurs inexorably and gradually in all forms of life. This process is linked to the decay of homeostasis due to the progressive decrease in the reparative and regenerative capacity of tissues and organs, with reduced physiological reserve in response to stress. Ageing is closely related to oxidative damage and involves immunosenescence and tissue impairment or metabolic imbalances that trigger inflammation and inflammasome formation. One of the main ageing-related alterations is the dysregulation of the immune response, which results in chronic low-level, systemic inflammation, termed “inflammaging”. Genetic and epigenetic changes, as well as environmental factors, promote and/or modulate the mechanisms of ageing at the molecular, cellular, organ, and system levels. Most of these mechanisms are characterized by time-dependent patterns of variation driven by the biological clock. In this review, we describe the involvement o...

Metabolic Alterations in Aging Macrophages: Ingredients for Inflammaging?

Trends in Immunology, 2019

Aging is a complex process with an impact on essentially all organs. Declined cellular repair causes increased damage at genomic and proteomic levels upon aging. This can lead to systemic changes in metabolism and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, resulting in low-grade inflammation, or 'inflammaging'. Tissue macrophages, gatekeepers of parenchymal homeostasis and integrity, are prime inflammatory cytokine producers, as well as initiators and regulators of inflammation. In this opinion piece, we summarize intrinsic alterations in macrophage phenotype and function with age. We propose that alternatively activated macrophages (M2-like), which are yet pro-inflammatory, can accumulate in tissues and promote inflammaging. Age-related increases in endoplasmic reticulum stress and mitochondrial dysfunction might be cell-intrinsic forces driving this unusual phenotype. Macrophages and Inflammaging Systemic decline during aging is characterized by various changes at the cellular level, summarized in a landmark review [1]. These features comprise genomic instability, epigenetic (see Glossary) changes, increased protein misfolding, mitochondrial dysfunction, and dysregulated nutrient sensing. Moreover, the ability to restore homeostasis via proteasomal degradation, the unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy decrease with aging, leading to fragile conditions in which cells lose proper function and either die or enter a senescent state [2,3]. This can be accompanied by systemically increased pro-inflammatory factors such as IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF, and C-reactive protein [4]. While these mediators serve a homeostatic role in acute inflammation, their chronic elevation has been associated with diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, or autoimmunity. In some cases, senescent tissue cells can secrete a variety of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, a phenomenon described as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) [5]. It is undecided whether these SASP-positive parenchymal cells are the major cellular sources of 'inflammaging' mediators, or whether activated immune cells are critical contributors to the increasing concentrations of such mediators in the steady state during aging. Highlights Aging is associated at the cellular level with several adaptations, fueled by increasing damage and reduced capacity for repair. This generates a condition of low-grade inflammation, called 'inflammaging'. Macrophages are prime cells in initiation and regulation of inflammatory processes and may thus play major roles in inflammaging. Macrophage polarization and activation, induced by intrinsic or extrinsic conditions, are reflected in and regulated by the cells' metabolic and epigenetic profiles. Age-induced changes in macrophages are diverse and, in general, may represent pro-inflammatory activation of cells with an alternatively activated (M2-like) phenotype.

The Role of Immune Cells in Oxi-Inflamm-Aging

Cells

Aging is the result of the deterioration of the homeostatic systems (nervous, endocrine, and immune systems), which preserve the organism’s health. We propose that the age-related impairment of these systems is due to the establishment of a chronic oxidative stress situation that leads to low-grade chronic inflammation throughout the immune system’s activity. It is known that the immune system weakens with age, which increases morbidity and mortality. In this context, we describe how the function of immune cells can be used as an indicator of the rate of aging of an individual. In addition to this passive role as a marker, we describe how the immune system can work as a driver of aging by amplifying the oxidative-inflammatory stress associated with aging (oxi-inflamm-aging) and inducing senescence in far tissue cells. Further supporting our theory, we discuss how certain lifestyle conditions (such as social environment, nutrition, or exercise) can have an impact on longevity by affe...