Biological age and immunosenescence in Colombian centenarians

Biological aging and immunosenescence are central to longevity, yet their interplay in centenarians remains unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 160 Colombian centenarians to examine associations between biological age (PhenoAge), immunosenescence and age-related clinical variables. Cytokine profiling (n = 114) and lymphocyte immunophenotyping (n = 42) were assessed. It was observed that better QoL and well-being were significantly associated with lower biological age, while depressive symptoms, prior tobacco use, elevated levels of RANTES and G-CSF as well as a distinct CD8+ T cell phenotype including greater CD27- CD28+ central memory, effector memory, and KLRG1- CD57+ terminally differentiated effector memory T cells (TEMRA), and fewer KLRG1+ CD57+ TEMRA cells were linked to higher biological age. Centenarians were classified into three categories: vigorous (10%), resilient (46.25%), and vulnerable (43.75%). Cytokine levels were similar across the groups. These findings challenge the notion of immunosenescence in centenarians and highlight the value of translational research in geroscience.