A multi-tissue integration of immunocytes and inflammaging biomarkers predicts biological age through LASSO-optimized modeling
摘要
Immunosenescence, a recognized hallmark of aging, is characterized by imbalances in immunocyte populations and a state of chronic inflammation. However, the tissue-specific dynamics of these changes and their potential as predictive biomarkers for aging remain poorly characterized. In this study, we established a multi-tissue immunological signature as a robust predictor of biological age by integrating immunocyte and cytokine profiling. Using Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats from five age groups (1–12 months), we systematically quantified 45 immunocyte subsets across peripheral blood, mesenteric lymph nodes, thymus, and spleen using flow cytometry, and profiled 22 serum cytokines/chemokines via Flexible Multi-Analyte Profiling (xMAP). Firstly, classic age-dependent shifts were observed across our rat samples, including progressive thymic involution and depletion of peripheral T-cells. Cytokine levels exhibited age-related chronic inflammation progression, marked by elevated IL-1α, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and TNF-α. To integrate these multidimensional datasets into a predictive aging metric, we employed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, selecting 22 biomarkers through regularization (λ = 0.111). The integrated model combining cellular and cytokine data demonstrated superior performance (training R2 = 0.957, validation R2 = 0.887), outperforming single-modality models based on immunocytes or cytokines. Notably, splenic parameters dominated the aging signature, contributing seven biomarkers representing 60% of model weight—particularly Th-cell expansion and Tc-cell depletion. Peripheral blood Th-cell proportion emerged as another key predictor. Our findings position the spleen as a critical aging hub and identify peripheral/splenic Th-cell modulation as promising therapeutic targets for age-related immune dysfunction, revealing novel mechanistic insights into aging-associated immune remodeling.