Chronic inflammation is the common pathological basis for such age-associated diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. A multitude of bodily changes occur with aging that contribute to the initiation and development of inflammation. In particular, the immune system of elderly individuals often exhibits diminished efficiency and fidelity, termed immunosenescence. But, although immune responses to new pathogens and vaccines are impaired, immunosenescence is also characterized by a basal systemic inflammatory state. This alteration in immune system function likely promotes chronic inflammation. Changes in the tissue microenvironment, such as the accumulation of cell debris, and systemic changes in metabolic and hormonal signals, also likely contribute to the development of chronic inflammation. Monocyte/macrophage lineage cells are crucial to these age-associated changes, which culminate in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we will summarize the diverse physiological and pathological roles of macrophages in the chronic inflammation underlying age-associated diseases.

慢性炎症是心血管疾病、糖尿病、癌症和阿尔茨海默病等与年龄相关的疾病的共同病理基础。随着年龄的增长会发生许多身体变化，这些变化有助于炎症的发生和发展。特别是，老年人的免疫系统通常表现出效率和保真度下降，称为免疫衰老。但是，尽管对新病原体和疫苗的免疫反应受损，免疫衰老也以基础全身炎症状态为特征。这种免疫系统功能的改变可能会促进慢性炎症。组织微环境的变化，例如细胞碎片的积累，以及代谢和激素信号的系统性变化，也可能导致慢性炎症的发展。单核细胞/巨噬细胞谱系细胞对这些与年龄相关的变化至关重要，这些变化最终导致慢性炎症性疾病的发展。在这篇综述中，我们将总结巨噬细胞在年龄相关疾病的慢性炎症中的多种生理和病理作用。