Intermediary metabolism plays an essential role in immune cell activation that may lead to tissue degeneration, lipid accumulation and oncogenesis in the aging human. Dr. Guerra. 14 December 2020.

Both the innate and acquired immune systems become senescent during chronological aging. While T cell activation may become disenfranchised from its co-stimulatory control apparatus during aging, the potential for hyper or hypo-immune responses becomes more common. At the same time,   CNS microglia and peripheral resident and circulating macrophages are activated following the stimulation of various pattern recognition or phagocytic receptors.  In the CNS, this activation state is subsequently controlled by proximal neurons, which secrete regulatory ligands. The end result of these interactions is the release of cytokines, neurotoxins, and/or growth factors by microglia/macrophages and  the activation of cellular pathways including phagocytosis. Aberrant function of these pathways can result in significant degeneration during aging. 

Cell Rep. 2018 Feb 6; 22(6): 1509–1521.

FEBS Journal. 2009.Vol. 276, 1 Pages: 13-26

Experimental & Molecular Medicine volume 51, Article number: 80 (2019)

Frontiers in Immunology · February 2013

Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.) September 2008  7(15):2296-8

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