How Can We Improve Vaccination Response in Old People? Part I: Targeting Immunosenescence of Innate Immunity Cells

Abstract

Vaccination, being able to prevent millions of cases of infectious diseases around the world every year, is the most effective medical intervention ever introduced. However, immunosenescence makes vaccines less effective in providing protection to older people. Although most studies explain that this is mainly due to the immunosenescence of T and B cells, the immunosenescence of innate immunity can also be a significant contributing factor. Alterations in function, number, subset, and distribution of blood neutrophils, monocytes, and natural killer and dendritic cells are detected in aging, thus potentially reducing the efficacy of vaccines in older individuals. In this paper, we focus on the immunosenescence of the innate blood immune cells. We discuss possible strategies to counteract the immunosenescence of innate immunity in order to improve the response to vaccination. In particular, we focus on advances in understanding the role and the development of new adjuvants, such as TLR agonists, considered a promising strategy to increase vaccination efficiency in older individuals.

Role of Sex and Age in Fatal Outcomes of COVID-19: Women and Older Centenarians Are More Resilient

“…With age, 15 times more activation of monocyte-specific loci has been reported in men compared to women, while age-specific B cell loci/genes were significantly inactivated in men and moderately activated in women. Thus, older women have greater genomic activity for acquired immune response cells whereas older men have higher genomic activity for monocytes (but the CD163 scavenger receptor is more expressed on female monocytes) and inflammation [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52].…”

How Can We Improve the Vaccination Response in Older People? Part II: Targeting Immunosenescence of Adaptive Immunity Cells

“…In the present paper, we focus on the role of adaptive immunity in immunosenescence and on the possible strategies to revert immunosenescence, thus enhancing response to vaccines. The role of innate immunity in immunosenescence and the possible strategies to revert immunosenescence of innate immunity and thereby enhancing response to vaccines is treated by Aiello et al, 2022 [ 8 ].…”

An immune signature of postoperative cognitive decline in elderly patients

“…Notably, prolonged elevation of STAT3 has been recognized as a key contributor to neurodegenerative processes like Alzheimer’s disease( 50 ). A persistent maladaptive chronic inflammatory state is also seen in frail adults, characterized by high levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6( 51 , 52 ), the canonical upstream activator of STAT3 signaling, evoking “inflammaging”( 53 ), one of the most conserved biological characteristics of frailty( 54 ).…”