Tag: senolytics

As the body ages, physical abilities decline. This can lead to difficulty with daily tasks and eventually loss of the ability to live independently. Senescent cells are thought to play a role in this aspect of the aging process.

Telomeres are repetitive sequences present at ends of chromosomes. These telomeres will break and protect the chromosomes but telomeres also reach an end point. If that is crossed, DNA will undergo irreparable damage.

Cellular senescence has historically been viewed as an irreversible cell-cycle arrest mechanism that acts to protect against cancer, but recent discoveries have extended its known role to complex biological processes such as development, tissue repair, ageing and age-related disorders. New insights indicate that, unlike a static endpoint, senescence represents a series of progressive and phenotypically diverse cellular states acquired after the initial growth arrest. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the multi-step progression of senescence and the development and function of acute versus chronic senescent cells may lead to new therapeutic strategies for age-related pathologies and extend healthy lifespan.

Senescent cells can cause health problems in young mice, including causing physical dysfunction and lowering survival rates, and that the use of senolytics (dasatinib and quercetin) can significantly improve both health span and life span in much older naturally aged animals.

Clinical trials are needed to test whether this approach can safely and effectively extend health span in people.

Undoubtedly, the next decade will see a tremendous expansion of data on the mechanisms, characteristics and functions of in vivo senescence, as well as the use of this information to ameliorate human age-related diseases and promote healthy lifespan.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/eliminating-senescent-cells-extends-healthy-life-mice https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214092/