Abstract
Older people display increasing rates and severity of infections and reduced vaccine responses. The innate immune system is the first line of defense that protects the host from invading pathogens. Recognition of microbial components by Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)-dependent activation of antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells, macrophages, or monocytes, is a crucial step for the ensuing initiation of the adaptive immune response. Several studies suggest that cytokine production upon stimulation by TLR ligands are affected in older individuals. Herein we discuss the different mechanisms that could account for the alterations of TLR-responsiveness in the geriatric population, focusing on the clinical characteristics of this age group. We suggest that frailty-associated factors, such as malnutrition, dysbiosis, and neurohormonal changes, could limit cytokine production by myeloid cells thereby contributing to immunosenescence.
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Compte, N., Pepersack, T., Goriely, S. (2018). Frailty in Old Age is Associated with Altered Cytokine Production in Response to TLR Ligation. In: Fulop, T., Franceschi, C., Hirokawa, K., Pawelec, G. (eds) Handbook of Immunosenescence. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64597-1_152-1
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