CD4+ T Cells at the Center of Inflammaging

Bharath et al., 2020 report that CD4+ T lymphocytes from aged individuals exhibit defective mitochondrial autophagy, resulting in altered redox metabolism and upregulation of TH17 cytokines, which in turn may contribute to aging-associated chronic inflammation or inflammaging. Of note, the antiaging drug metformin reverses this autophagy defect and rejuvenates CD4+ T cell function.