Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Quantitative Imaging of Lineage-specific Toll-like Receptor-mediated Signaling in Monocytes and Dendritic Cells from Small Samples of Human Blood
Published on: April 16, 2012
Innate immunity in aging: impact on macrophage function
Julie Plowden1, Mary Renshaw-Hoelscher, Carrie Engleman
1Influenza Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Abstract:
Innate and adaptive immune functions decline with age, leading to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases and cancer, and reduced responses to preventive vaccination in the elderly population. Macrophages function as 'pathogen sensors' and play an important role in the initiation of inflammatory responses, elimination of pathogens, manipulation of the adaptive immune response and reparation of damaged tissue. In this paper, we review the literature addressing the impact of aging on the macrophage population.
Related Concept Videos
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
Chronic Inflammation: Introduction
Cells of the Innate Immune Response
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
Inflammation
