Train your T cells: How skeletal muscles and T cells keep each other fit during aging

Helena Slaets; Lena Fonteyn; Bert O Eijnde; Niels Hellings

doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.006

Train your T cells: How skeletal muscles and T cells keep each other fit during aging

Brain Behav Immun. 2023 May:110:237-244. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.006. Epub 2023 Mar 7.

Authors

Helena Slaets¹, Lena Fonteyn², Bert O Eijnde³, Niels Hellings⁴

Affiliations

¹ Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
² Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium; SMRC - Sports Medical Research Center, BIOMED Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
³ SMRC - Sports Medical Research Center, BIOMED Biomedical Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
⁴ Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium; UMSC - University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium. Electronic address: niels.hellings@uhasselt.be.

PMID: 36893922
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.03.006

Abstract

Frailty and a failing immune system lead to significant morbidities in the final years of life and bring along a significant burden on healthcare systems. The good news is that regular exercise provides an effective countermeasure for losing muscle tissue when we age while supporting proper immune system functioning. For a long time, it was assumed that exercise-induced immune responses are predominantly mediated by myeloid cells, but it has become evident that they receive important help from T lymphocytes. Skeletal muscles and T cells interact, not only in muscle pathology but also during exercise. In this review article, we provide an overview of the most important aspects of T cell senescence and discuss how these are modulated by exercise. In addition, we describe how T cells are involved in muscle regeneration and growth. A better understanding of the complex interactions between myocytes and T cells throughout all stages of life provides important insights needed to design strategies that effectively combat the wave of age-related diseases the world is currently faced with.

Keywords: Aging; Exercise; Immune senescence; Muscle; Sarcopenia; T cells.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Exercise / physiology
Muscle, Skeletal* / physiology
T-Lymphocytes*