Is ageing associated with a shift in the balance between Type 1 and Type 2 cytokines in humans?
Clin Exp Immunol
; 127(1): 107-14, 2002 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11882040
ABSTRACT
The balance between Type 1 and Type 2 cytokines is important for the outcome of several infectious diseases. As elderly humans show increased morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases, this study tests if ageing is associated with a change towards Type 2 dominance in T cells. Expression of IFN-gamma, and IL-4 was measured in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry in three groups young controls (n=28), 81-year-olds (n=22), and centenarians (n=25). The major findings were that the percentage of IFN-gamma+ as well as IL-4+ T cells was increased in aged subjects. Furthermore, after adjusting for decreased lymphocyte counts in the elderly, the concentration in the blood of IFN-gamma+ and IL-4+ CD8+ T cells was still increased in the 81-year-olds. In centenarians, a shift towards a relative dominance of Type 2 cytokine expression was found within CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, the percentage of T cells with cytokine expression was closely correlated to the in vivo expression of CD95 and CD45RO. In conclusion, we found some evidence for an age-related shift towards a Type 2 cytokine profile.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Aging
/
Cytokines
/
Th2 Cells
/
Th1 Cells
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Exp Immunol
Year:
2002
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Denmark