Nature of Cellular Deficiencies in Age-Related Decline of the Immune System

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Abstract
Studies investigating deficiencies of immunocompetent cells of aged mice indicate the following. (1) Both the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses decline with advancing age. (2) Approximately 10% of the decline in the humoral response can be attributed to a defective environment in old animals. This environmental defect is humoral in nature and in some manner necessitates a 10-fold increase in the required antigen dose to maximally stimulate old spleen cells. (3) Approximately 90% of the decline in the humoral response is intrinsic to the immunocompetent cells. Studies of the cellular defects indicate: (a) the ability of the adherent cell population to initiate an immune response does not deteriorate with age; (b) the functional capacity of the nonadherent cell population is defective and possibly related to (i) a decreased ability of both T- and B-cells to proliferate, (ii) defects in required cellular interactions, and (iii) an altered T:B cell ratio. (4) The decline in the cell-mediated response may be related to the inability of effector T-cells to proliferate.

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