Strategies to Overcome Neuroendocrine Immune Deficits in Aging: Role of Neuroendocrine-Immune Modulators and Bioactive Plant Extracts

Abstract

The neuroendocrine immune network functions in a delicate balance during health and the ability to maintain this balance through disease affects the outcome of the disease. During aging, there is a general decline in each of these systems that reflects on their synergistic functions and affect homeostasis leading to age-associated diseases including cancer, autoimmunity and degenerative diseases. Immunomodulation by estrogen through cyclic menstrual variations and precipitous decline during reproductive aging, facilitates the development of several female-specific age-associated diseases such as autoimmunity, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and hormone-dependent cancers. Centrally and peripherally, norepinephrine released from sympathetic innervation of lymphoid organs plays a key role in naïve T-cell regulation. Hypothalamic catecholaminergic networks play a crucial role in endocrine regulation and indirectly affect immune functions during health and disease. Immune mediators such as cytokines can cross the blood brain barrier and bind to central neurons eliciting sickness behaviour and facilitate reprogramming of energy reserves to be used to fight the disease. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors like deprenyl and synthetic drugs like donepezil have been shown to exert positive effects on the age-associated decline in the neuroendocrine-immune network by delaying peripheral degeneration and increasing immune functions. Similar beneficial effects have been observed in vitro and in vivo in rats treated with Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) and Noni (Morinda citrifolia). Comparative analysis of the strategies for reversing age-associated immunosenescence using synthetic drugs and natural remedies have shown significant immunomodulatory effects in middle-aged and old rats through modulation of MAPK and NF-kB signaling cascades. ÖzNöroendokrin bağışıklık ağı vücud sağlığının korunmasında bulunduğu hassas denge ile bu sağlığın korunmasında önemli bir rol oynar. Yaşlanma sırasında, bu sistemlerin ve aralarındaki sinerjik işlevlerin etkinliğinin azalması ile, kanser, otoimmünite, osteoporoz, kalp-damar hastalıkları ve hormona bağlı kanserler ile dejeneratif hastalıklar gibi sağlık problemleri ortaya çıkabilmektedir. Ostrojenin menstrüasyon sırasındaki döngüsel farklılıkları ve üreme sistemindeki yaşlanmaya bağlı olarak otoimmünite, osteoporoz kalp-damar hastalıkları ve hormona bağlı kanserler gibi hastalıklar meydana gelmektedir. Norepinefrinin lenfoid organların innervasyonu ile salınımı ile gerek periferik olarak gerek ise santral olarak etki göstermekte, aktive olmamış T lenfositlerinin düzenlenmesinde çok önemli roller oynamaktadır. Hipotalamus kökenli katekolaminerjik ağ, endokrin sistemin düzenlenmesinde ve bu sistemin sağlık ve hastalıklarda söz konusu olan ve bağışıklık sistemi ile ilgili işlevlerinde vazgeçilmiş bir rol oynar. Bağışıklık sisteminde etkin sitokinler gibi maddeler, kan-beyin engelini geçip beyindeki sinirleri etkileyerek hastalıkların hastalarda meydana getirdiği değişiklikleri oluşturmakta ve enerji kay...

In Quest of the Mysterious Holistic Vedic Herb Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell

“…Comparative analysis of age-related immunosenescence reversal strategies using synthetic drugs and natural remedies has shown significant immunomodulatory effects through modulation of MAPK and NF-kB signaling cascades in middle-aged and elderly rats. [299] The implications of the B. monnieri extract on the in-vitro ICR mice immune system study showed that the extract slightly suppressed the proliferation of splenocytes and decreased the proliferation of T-lymphocytes but slightly increased the activity of the lysosomal enzyme, suggesting a poor effect on phagocytic activation. [300]…”

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“…As gonadal hormones, both androgens and estrogens can improve immunity [29,30]. In particular, estrogen can alter the immune response by binding to specific receptors on immune cells, resulting in their proliferation, and they play a feedback regulatory role on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis [29,31].…”