Age-related loss of intestinal barrier integrity plays an integral role in thymic involution and T cell ageing.

ABSTRACT: The intestinal epithelium serves as a physical and functional barrier against harmful substances, preventing their entry into the circulation and subsequent induction of a systemic immune response. Gut barrier dysfunction has recently emerged as a feature of ageing linked to declining health, and increased intestinal membrane permeability has been shown to promote heightened systemic inflammation in aged hosts. Concurrent with age-related changes in the gut microbiome, the thymic microenvironment undergoes a series of morphological, phenotypical and architectural alterations with age, including disorganisation of the corticomedullary junction, increased fibrosis, increased thymic adiposity and the accumulation of senescent cells. However, a direct link between gut barrier dysbiosis and thy

SUBMITTER: Conway J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11896561 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature