ABSTRACT
During ageing the immune system is characterized by a peculiar remodelling, called immunosenescence. Apoptosis or programmed cell death plays a central role in this process. Both recurrent antigenic stimulations and oxidative metabolism byproducts, impinging upon the immune system, modify the apoptotic capability of lymphocytes, driving immunosenescence. Th e cells of the immune system undergo two diff erent kinds of apoptotic processes: activation-induced cell death (AICD), peculiar to immune cells and geared towards the elimination of unnecessary lymphocytes following clonal expansion, and damage-induced cell death (DICD), a more generalized phenomenon in response to a variety of cellular insults, mainly oxidative metabolism by-products, particularly important for preventing the onset of neoplastic proliferations. Th e subtle remodelling of both these apoptotic pathways in the elderly contributes to the phenotypic and functional characteristics of the aged immune system and in addition to the upregulation of anti-stress responses and infl ammatory cytokines (infl ammageing), represents one of the major determinants of ageing rate and longevity, as well as of the most common age-related diseases. A correct modulation of apoptosis in specifi c lymphocyte subsets could preserve immune function in the elderly and may be useful for
prolonging the lifespan and reducing age-related degenerative, infl ammatory and neoplastic diseases, contributing to successful ageing.
