Serum cytokine levels and antibody response to influenza vaccine in the elderly

Cytokines play critical roles in regulating the antibody response to vaccines. We sought to understand the role of endogenous cytokines in the determination of antibody production in the elderly, a group of subjects known to have a lower response rate to vaccination. We found that in a healthy elderly group, only 52% of whom responded to the influenza vaccine, endogenous levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10 and gamma interferon (IFNγ) did not differ statistically significantly between responders and non-responders (responders: n = 27, IL-6 = 293 ± 101 pg/ml, IL-10 = 882 ± 240 pg/ml; non-responders: n = 26, IL-6 = 223 ± 71 pg/ml, P = 0.57, IL-10 = 445 ± 148 pg/ml, mean ± SE, P = 0.14, respectively, and undetectable IFNγ). Serum levels of these three cytokines were not changed significantly four weeks after vaccination (P < 0.05 for IL-6 and P < 0.01 for IL-10). In addition, there were also no age-dependent differences in serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels.