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REVIEW article

Front. Aging
Sec. Aging and the Immune System
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fragi.2024.1490302
This article is part of the Research Topic Resilience in Aging View all 4 articles

The 3 I's of Immunity and Aging: Immunosenescence, Inflammaging, and Immune Resilience

Provisionally accepted
Marianna V. Wrona Marianna V. Wrona 1Kaitlyn Coll Kaitlyn Coll 2Connor Chun Connor Chun 3Matthew J. Yousefzadeh Matthew J. Yousefzadeh 1*
  • 1 Columbia University, New York City, United States
  • 2 Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
  • 3 Bronx High School of Science, The Bronx, New York, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    As we age, our immune system's ability to effectively respond to pathogens declines, a phenomenon known as immunosenescence. This age-related deterioration affects both innate and adaptive immunity, compromising immune function and leading to chronic inflammation that accelerates aging. Immunosenescence is characterized by alterations in immune cell populations and impaired functionality, resulting in increased susceptibility to infections, diminished vaccine efficacy, and higher prevalence of age-related diseases. Chronic low-grade inflammation further exacerbates these issues, contributing to a decline in overall health and resilience. This review delves into the characteristics of immunosenescence and examines the various intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to immune aging and how the hallmarks of aging and cell fates can play a crucial role in this process. Additionally, it discusses the impact of sex, age, social determinants, and gut microbiota health on immune aging, illustrating the complex interplay of these factors in altering immune function. Furthermore, the concept of immune resilience is explored, focusing on the metrics for assessing immune health and identifying strategies to enhance immune function. These strategies include lifestyle interventions such as diet, regular physical activity, stress management, and the use of gerotherapeutics and other approaches.Understanding and mitigating the effects of immunosenescence are crucial for developing interventions that support robust immune responses in aged individuals.

    Keywords: immunosenescence, Inflammaging, cellular senescence, immune resilience, Inflammation

    Received: 02 Sep 2024; Accepted: 23 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wrona, Coll, Chun and Yousefzadeh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Matthew J. Yousefzadeh, Columbia University, New York City, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.