Ageing and its possible impact on mucosal immune responses.

The development, structural diversification, and functional maturation of mammalian immunologic repertoire at mucosal surfaces and the systemic lymphoid tissue is a remarkably dynamic and continuous process, which begins in early fetal life and eventually culminates in variable degree of senescence or cellular death with advancing age. This brief overview will highlight the status of our current understanding of the ontogeny of mucosal immunologic response. The role of mucosal microflora and other environmental macromolecules in the regulation of mucosal immunity relative to the process of ageing will also be reviewed. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.