MONOCYTE CYTOKINE PRODUCTION IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION - EFFECT OF AGEAND INFLAMMATION

Objective. To determine the association among aging, inflammation, and cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Population and Methods. We examined production of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) , tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-1 receptor antagonist (I L-1Ra), and IL-6 in 711 elderly participants in the Framingham Heart S tudy (mean age, 79 y) and 21 young healthy volunteers (mean age, 39 y) . The elderly subjects were categorized by serum C-reactive protein (C RP) concentration, a marker of systemic inflammation. Results, Product ion of IL-6 (p<.00001) and IL-1Ra (p<.00001) was higher in the elderly subjects than in the control group. IL-6 production increased with in creasing CRP, whereas IL-1RA was uniformly elevated in elderly subject s regardless of CRP. However, we found no difference in the production of IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha between the young and elderly groups, regar dless of CRP status. IL-6 population correlated with IL-1 beta (r=.36, p<.0001) and TNF-alpha production (r=.25, p<.0001), but IL-1Ra produc tion did not. Conclusion, Production of IL-6 and IL-1Ra - but not IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha - was increased in the elderly compared to healthy, young subjects. The increase in IL-6 also correlated with increased p roduction of CRP, a marker of inflammation. However, IL-1Ra was increa sed in the elderly independently of CRP production. Although limited b y the small control group, these data suggest that dysregulation of so me inflammatory cytokines occurs with age, but the role of inflammatio n in aging remains unclear.