Chronic, low-grade sterile inflammation that occurs with age (inflammaging) has been observed in all mammalian species studied, from rodents to non-human primates to humans. It has been argued that aging is driven by the age-related increase in proinflammatory cytokines and substances produced by the innate immune system leading to reduced healthspan and accelerated aging. Because inflammation is strongly associated with a variety of diseases (e.g. type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and frailty), inflammaging appears to be an important factor in the etiology of most age-related diseases. In support of the role of inflammaging in aging are the studies showing that disease and environmental conditions that reduce lifespan (e.g. obesity, HIV-infection, and exposure to cigarette smoke) are associated with increased inflammation and interventions that increase lifespan in mice, e.g., dietary restriction, dwarfism, and rapamycin treatment reduce inflammation. These data have led to the generally accepted view that inflammation plays an important role in the underlying mechanisms of aging. Currently, the pathway or pathways responsible for inflammaging is not known. However, cell senescence, immune senescence, increased gut permeability or changes in oral microbiota, changes in coagulation system, and the generation of damage associated molecular patterns have been proposed to be involved in the in chronic inflammation that occurs with aging.

The webinar provided participants with information about how inflammation influences aging and health as well as processes and mechanisms that facilitate, or inhibit, increasing chronic inflammation with age.

In this free webinar, presenters from the recent Oklahoma Geroscience Symposium discussed:

The relationship between the biology of aging and inflammatory responses

Pathways leading to inflammation

Inflammation and age-associated disease

Senescence, the microbiome, and blood inflammatory mediators and aging

Interventions to prevent inflammaging

Each expert briefly presented different perspectives on inflammaging. A Q&A followed.