Characterization Of Age-Related Immune Features After Autologous NK Cell Infusion

Abstract Objective: To analyze the characterization of age-related immune features after autologous NK cell infusion.Background: Aging is a progressive loss of physiological function, accompanied with a functional decline of immune system, especially in T cell responses, which consequently leads to the increase of infections and cancers. However, understanding of immune ageing on body health is currently lacking. Methods: In this study, we originally checked whether the administration of autologous NK cells would affect T cell senescence and exhaustion in healthy human beings with middle ages. Also, we detected whether NK cells infusion would affect senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related factors level. Results: Results showed that senescent T cells including CD28-, CD57+, CD28-CD57+ and CD28-KLRG1+ subsets decreased significantly in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells following once infusion of autologous NK cells. In addition, PD-1+ and TIM-3+ population within CD4+ and CD8+ T cells also dramatically declined after the infusion. Changes were continuously observed in senescent and exhausted T cell in 4 weeks after the intervention. Meanwhile, we found out that several key senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related factors including IL-6, IL-8, IL-1α, IL-17, MIP-1α, ΜΙP-1β, MMP1 were significantly decreased after NK cell infusion. Moreover, gender did not influence the effects reducing extent caused by NK cell infusion, and whether the cells were frozen or fresh influenced several immune indexes. Conclusion: Our findings imply that immune aging is a reversible process in healthy human beings and autologous NK cell administration can be introduced to alleviate the aging.