Skewed pulmonary innate immune cell composition underlies the delayed influenza clearance in aged mice.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Aging increases vulnerability of the elderly to influenza, but the mechanisms have not been fully understood. Although lethally infected aged mice are frequently used as models of influenza infection in the elderly, they are more suitable for studying mortality rather than the increased disease severity frequently observed in non-lethal infections. Therefore, understanding age-related differences under sublethal infection conditions is crucial.

Methods

Adult (8-12 months) and aged (22-24 months) mice were infected with a sublethal dose of H1N1 (PR8). Body weight loss, lung viral titers, pulmonary innate immune cell composition, and transcriptional levels of key inflammatory cytokines were assessed.

Results

Despite similar body weight loss, the aged mice s

SUBMITTER: Cheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12727561 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature