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Macrophage polarization is a candidate biomarker of disease-related inflammatory status, but its modulation during aging has not been investigated. To do this, the M1/M2 profile was assessed by CD80/CD163 gating in classical (CD14++ CD16-), intermediate (CD14++ CD16+), and non-classical (CD14 low CD16+) monocytes from 31 healthy subjects (CTRs) of different ages. Cytofluorimetric analysis showed a significantly different CD80/CD163 distribution in the three subsets, as more than 80% of classical and intermediate monocytes were CD80+ CD163+, whereas most non-classical monocytes were CD80-CD163-and CD163+. Non-classical CD163+ monocytes were significantly higher whereas classical CD163+ and CD80-CD163-monocytes significantly lower in older than younger CTRs (cut-off, 65 years), suggesting different age-related trends for M2 subsets. To establish whether an M1/M2 imbalance …