Objective

An upward trend in life expectancy has been observed in a majority of developed countries and leading to increasing in aging-related diseases. Aging is a risk factor for the development of widespread clinical conditions such as cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, cancer, infections. Although studies have been very active, the problem of aging still remains one of the most obscure aspects of human biology.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells with immunosuppressive properties have a pivotal role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Alterations in Treg cell functionality appear to be of great importance in the development of immune senescence and contribute to increased susceptibility to immune-mediated diseases with age.

Design

This review highlights recent findings regarding the age-related changes in the numbers and functional activity of human Tregs. Some of the mechanisms that maintain the balance of Tregs during human aging are discussed. The possible roles of Tregs in the pathogenesis of diseases associated with advanced age are also considered.

Results

Age-related systemic changes, such as thymic involution, hormonal status, and epigenetic modifications, may affect the state of the Treg population and trigger various diseases. These changes involve decline or amplification in the functional activity of Tregs, an increase in the memory Treg subset and shifting of a Th17/Treg balance.

Conclusion

Taken together, the reviewed data suggest equal or even increased Treg functionality with age. Thus, age-mediated Treg expansion and higher Treg activity may contribute to elevated immune suppression and increased risk of infections and cancer.

中文翻译：

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稳态和CD4 + Treg细胞在衰老中的功能作用。

目的

在大多数发达国家，人们的预期寿命呈上升趋势，并导致与衰老有关的疾病增加。衰老是发展广泛的临床状况（如心血管疾病和自身免疫性疾病，癌症，感染）的危险因素。尽管研究非常活跃，但衰老问题仍然是人类生物学最晦涩的方面之一。

具有免疫抑制特性的调节性T（Treg）细胞在维持免疫稳态方面起着关键作用。Treg细胞功能的改变在免疫衰老的发展中似乎非常重要，并且随着年龄的增长，其对免疫介导疾病的敏感性增加。

设计

这篇评论重点介绍了有关人类Treg数量和功能活性与年龄相关的变化的最新发现。讨论了在人类衰老过程中维持Treg平衡的一些机制。还考虑了Tregs在与高龄有关的疾病的发病机理中的可能作用。

结果

与年龄有关的全身性变化，例如胸腺退化，激素状态和表观遗传学改变，可能会影响Treg人群的状态并引发各种疾病。这些变化涉及Tregs功能活性的下降或扩增，记忆Treg子集的增加和Th17 / Treg平衡的移动。

结论

两者合计，审查的数据表明，随着年龄的增长，Treg功能相等甚至增加。因此，年龄介导的Treg扩展和更高的Treg活性可能有助于提高免疫抑制能力，增加感染和癌症的风险。