Oxidative stress, inflamm-aging and immunosenescence

Immunosenescence is characterized by a decreased ability of the immune system to respond to foreign antigens, as well as a decreased ability to maintain tolerance to self-antigens. This results in an increased susceptibility to infection and cancer and reduced responses to vaccination [1], [2], [3], [4] and [5].The mechanisms underlying immunosenescence comprise a series of cellular and molecular events involving alteration of several biochemical pathways and different cellular populations, and for the most part our understanding of these molecular mechanisms is still fragmentary. In this review we will focus on the process of senescence associated with oxidative stress, in particular how protein oxidation alters the functionality of immune cells and how oxidative stress contributes to a chronic inflammatory process often referred as inflamm-aging.

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► Oxidative metabolism, oxidative burst and the environment are the major sources of free radicals formation in aging immune cells.
► In aging immune cells oxidative damage induces low levels of chronic inflammation; TLRs, DAMPs and Nalp3-mediated.
► In aging immune cells oxidative damage compromises immune cell functions and increases cellular apoptosis.