'Inflammaging' describes the chronic low-grade inflammatory process that occurs with aging and its associated diseases. In Nature Medicine, Furman et al. investigate the Stanford-Ellison longitudinal cohort to determine the contribution of inflammasome signatures and activity to inflammaging. Specific inflammasome expression modules correlate significantly with age and age-related diseases such as hypertension, as well as with diminished longevity. Inflammasome expression is also associated with oxidative stress, metabolic dysfunction and the presence of higher concentrations of particular metabolites in the blood. Two of these metabolites, adenine and N4-acetylcytidine, prime and/or activate the NLRC4 inflammasome and induce hypertension and inflammatory signatures when administered together to mice. Inflammasomes may therefore be important targets in normalizing the inflammatory status and associated diseases of the elderly.

Nat. Med. (16 January 2017) http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nm.4267