Role of dendritic cells in innate and adaptive immune response in human aging.

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in T cell function, chronic inflammation, hyperimmunoglobulinemia, autoimmunity, poor response to vaccines, and increased susceptibility to infection as well as diseases associated with chronic inflammation. DCs in aging appear to be functionally impaired with regard to response to uptake of antigens, phagocytosis of apoptotic cells, migration, priming of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and production of IFN-I and IFN-III. In this review I have discussed various mechanisms, which may be responsible for impaired functions of DCs.