Shrinkage of thymus with advancing age
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Immunological functions peak at around puberty and gradually decline with advancing age. The immunological decline mainly occurs in the T Cell-dependent immune system and is generally associated with an increase in not only susceptibility to infections but also incidence of autoimmune diseases. Scientists have now determined that age-related changes in our T cell dependent immune functions can be largely attributed to the shrinkage of thymus.
The thymus gland, located in the chest, is a primary organ of the immune system. The thymus produces T lymphocytes, T cells essential to resistance to infection and protection against development of cancer and autoimmune disorders, including allergies and rheumatoid arthritis. The thymus gland releases hormones, low levels of which are associated with depressed immunity and increased susceptibility to infection.
After the teen years, the thymus begins to shrink, until by age forty it is a shriveled shadow of its former self; by age sixty it is difficult to locate. The shrinking of the thymus coincides with a rise in the diseases associated with aging, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. At the same time, t cells, along with immune factors such as interleukin-2- a substance responsible for triggering production of T and B-lymphocytes decline.
In their researches, scientists have found out that it is the alterations in thymus itself which ultimately affect the number and type of T cells circulating the lymphatic system. Promoting factors present in the thymic environment that are responsible for proliferating thymocytes- the cells that become T lymphocytes- decrease with age, while inhibitory factors increase with age. Fortunately, various endocrine hormones can function as important factors influencing the thymic function. In fact, the shrinking of thymus itself can be halted by manipulation of the endocrine system, sometimes resulting in rejuvenation of immune functions to a certain extent.
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