Chronic bedridden condition is reflected by substantial changes in plasma inflammatory profile

Absent or reduced physical activity and spontaneous movement over days, weeks, or even years may lead to problems in almost every major organ/system in the human body. In this study, we investigated whether the dysregulation and alteration of plasma protein inflammatory profiling can stratify chronic bedridden conditions observed in 22 elderly chronic bedridden (CBR) individuals with respect to 11 age-matched active (OLD) controls. By using a combination of immune-assay multiplex techniques, a complex of 27 inflammatory mediators was assessed in the plasma collected from the two groups. A specific plasma protein signature is indeed able to distinguish IPO individuals from age-matched OLD controls; while significantly (p < 0.001) higher protein levels of IL-2, IL-7, and IL-12p70 were measured in the plasma of CBR with respect to OLD individuals, significantly (p < 0.01) higher levels of seven inflammatory mediators, including IL-9, PDGF-b, CCL4 (MIP-1b), CCL5 (RANTES), IL-1Ra, CXCL10 (IP10), and CCL2 (MCP-1), were identified in OLD individuals with respect to CBR individuals. These data suggest that the chronic absence of physical activity may contribute to the dysregulation of a complex molecular pattern occurring with ageing and that specific plasma protein signatures may represent potential biomarkers as well as new potential therapeutic targets for new treatments aimed at improving health expectancy.