Heart HealthRapamycin Rewires Immune Aging to Slash Plaque Inflammation in Old Mice
Atherosclerosis in old age is fueled by an immune system gone haywire — expanded inflammatory T cells, senescent cells, and rogue B cell responses. Researchers tested rapamycin, the mTOR-inhibiting drug increasingly studied as a longevity therapeutic, in elderly mice with established arterial plaques. After eight weeks of treatment, plaques contained significantly fewer macrophages. The immune system shifted toward a more regulatory state: inflammatory effector T cells were replaced by memory and regulatory T cells (Tregs), antibody-producing B cells declined, and senescent immune cell scores dropped sharply. These findings suggest rapamycin doesn't just slow aging broadly — it may specifically defuse the immune-driven inflammation that makes atherosclerosis dangerous in older adults, opening a potential therapeutic avenue for one of the leading killers of aging humans.
