BACKGROUND Immunosenescence is associated with several changes in adaptive and innate immune cells. Altered cytokine production is among the most prominent of these changes. The impact of age-related alterations on cytokine global profiles produced by distinct populations of leukocytes from healthy Brazilian individuals was studied. We analysed frequencies of cytokine-producing lymphocytes and innate immune cells from individuals at several ages spanning a lifetime period (0-85 years). RESULTS Healthy adult individuals presented a balanced profile suggestive of a mature immune system with equal contributions of both innate and adaptive immunity and of both categories of cytokines (inflammatory and regulatory). In healthy newborns and elderly, innate immune cells, especially neutrophils and NK-cells, contributed the most to a balanced profile of cytokines. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the hypothesis that ageing is not associated with a progressive pro-inflammatory cytokine production by all leukocytes but rather with distinct fluctuations in the frequency of cytokine-producing cells throughout life.

中文翻译：

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来自巴西个体的先天性和适应性免疫细胞产生的细胞因子的终生概况。

背景技术免疫衰老与适应性和先天免疫细胞的几种变化有关。细胞因子产生的改变是这些改变中最突出的。研究了年龄相关变化对健康巴西个体白细胞不同群体所产生的细胞因子总体特征的影响。我们分析了跨越一生期（0-85年）的多个年龄段的个体产生细胞因子的淋巴细胞和先天免疫细胞的频率。结果健康的成年个体呈现出平衡的特征，表明成熟的免疫系统具有先天和适应性免疫以及两种细胞因子（炎性和调节性）的同等贡献。在健康的新生儿和老年人中，先天免疫细胞，尤其是中性粒细胞和NK细胞，对平衡细胞因子的贡献最大。结论我们的结果支持以下假设：衰老与所有白细胞的进行性促炎性细胞因子产生无关，而与一生中细胞因子产生细胞频率的明显波动有关。