Fig. 2: Inflammaging and the role of the immune system in aging & senescence.

a One of the biological bases for having cells adopt a senescent state is to create a distinct secretory profile that can recruit immune cells. In the healthy process, this results in immune activation and killing of the senescent cells. b Among the SASP factors, there are interleukins and chemokines which recruit the immune system to the tissue with senescent cells. c However, in the unhealthy process, this immune activation can become chronic or over-activated, resulting in inflammation and inflammaging. In this process, the inflammation results in further senescence, which results in further inflammation thereby forming a positive feedback loop. Created with Biorender.com.