ABSTRACT

Despite accumulating small-sample and clinical evidence on “inflammaging,” no population-representative longitudinal studies have specifically examined women’s late-life inflammation trends. While a range of studies indicates estradiol’s immunomodulation role, evidence is contradictory on whether its effects are pro- or antiinflammatory among older women. Using longitudinal data from the first two waves of the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project—a national probability sample of older U.S. adults aged 57 to 85 years at baseline—this study began to fill these gaps. Findings suggested rather than being a lifelong process, older women’s inflammaging may have a biological window that closes with senescence. Moreover, their endogenous estradiol plays a proinflammatory rather than immunoprotective role. Nor does this sex steroid modulate age effects on women’s inflammation. More sex-specific basic research is needed on causal mechanisms underlying women’s late-life inflammaging patterns.

抽象的

尽管积累了关于“发炎”的小样本和临床证据，但没有任何具有人口代表性的纵向研究专门检查妇女的晚期发炎趋势。尽管一系列研究表明雌二醇具有免疫调节作用，但在老年妇女中雌激素的作用是促炎还是抗炎的证据却相互矛盾。利用来自国家社会生活，健康与老龄化项目前两波的纵向数据（基线时年龄在57至85岁的美国老年人的国家概率样本），本研究开始填补了这些空白。研究结果表明，老年妇女发红不是一生的过程，可能具有随着衰老而关闭的生物学窗口。而且，它们的内源性雌二醇起促炎作用而不是免疫保护作用。这种类固醇也不能调节年龄对女性发炎的影响。需要进行更多针对性别的基础研究，以研究女性晚年炎症模式背后的因果机制。