Autoantibody Production in Healthy Elderly People is not Promoted by Interleukin‐10 Although This Cytokine is Expressed in Them by a Peculiar CD8⁺CD3⁺ Large Granular Cell Subpopulation

Abstract

Healthy elderly people tend to have autoantibodies in their sera. These antibodies, not being associated with any clinical manifestation, have been considered as natural autoantibodies. In systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as in rheumatoid arthritis, the presence of autoantibodies characteristic of these diseases (anti‐dsDNA and rheumatoid factor, respectively) depends on the endogeneous production of IL‐10. The same could hold true for autoantibodies found in healthy elderly individuals. In the present work, the authors analysed whether an increased production of IL‐10 contributed to the production of autoantibodies in elderly people. The authors found that there is neither increased in vivo gene expression nor augmented production of IL‐10 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from elderly women even if they do produce autoantibodies. The authors further sought to determine if the production of autoantibodies is inhibited in vitro by adding an anti‐IL‐10 MoAb to cell cultures and found that it is not. Despite these negative findings of a role for IL‐10 in the production of autoantibodies in elderly people, the authors investigated which cells produce IL‐10. In so doing they found that intracellular IL‐10 expression occurred exclusively in monocytes in young female controls, but in elderly females it involved also CD8+CD3+ large granular cells. These results indicate that autoantibody production in healthy aged individuals is IL‐10 independent.

IL‐10 prevents aging‐associated inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle

“…Previous studies have reported that IL-10 levels and signaling in skeletal muscle decrease with aging, and those findings are consistent with our current data showing lower IL-10 levels in aging WT mice (11,(29)(30)(31). In contrast, M IL10 mice were protected from this aging-associated effect as muscle IL-10 levels remained consistently higher and within a physiological range.…”

Age-dependent immune responses in COVID-19-mediated liver injury: focus on cytokines

“…Following the SARS-CoV-2 infection and virus entrance, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-expressing type II alveolar epithelial cells are the main target of the virus ( 94 , 95 ). However, a wide range of other cells in different organs, such as cholangiocytes in the liver, can express ACE2 and become infected ( 96 ).…”

Effect of age on cytokine production in humans

“…Llorente and colleagues evaluated basal IL-10 production by PBMC cultured for 24 hours without stimulation and showed comparable levels in young and elderly [53]. Stimulation of PBMCs with PHA [Bernstein, et al submitted] or with superantigens TSST [36] or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan (SAC) [43] also demonstrated no age-related differences.…”