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Published on: July 19, 2024
Regulatory T cells in elderly patients with asthma
A Mota-Pinto1, A Todo, V Alves
1Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal. apinto@fmed.uc.pt
Summary
Regulatory T cells appear less involved in elderly asthma, suggesting limited impact on chronic disease progression. Further research into aging-related inflammation is needed for this population.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gerontology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma involves activated immune cells in airway walls, leading to structural changes and disease severity.
- Aging alters immune responses due to chronic antigenic stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate T-cell subsets with regulatory functions in elderly patients with asthma.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry was used to analyze T-cell subsets in 153 individuals (95 with asthma, 58 controls) over 65 years old.
- Specific markers analyzed included CD3, CD4, CD8, CD56, CD56CD8, CD3CD4CD25, CD3CD4CD25CD127, CD4HLA-DR, and TCRgamma delta.
Main Results:
- Asthmatic patients showed increased CD4+ T cells and specific regulatory T-cell subsets (CD3CD4CD25high and CD3CD4CD25highCD127high).
- Gamma delta T cells were significantly decreased in asthmatic patients compared to controls.
- A positive correlation was found between CD3CD4CD25highCD127low and CD4HLA-DR cells.
Conclusions:
- Regulatory T cells may play a limited role in chronic asthma in the elderly under basal conditions.
- The findings suggest a potential lack of modulation on the inflammatory response, possibly contributing to disease persistence.
- Aging-related inflammatory processes might explain the subtle differences observed between asthmatic and non-asthmatic elderly individuals.
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