Treatments for Cellular Senescence as a Path to Reduced Age-Related Inflammation
The accumulation of senescent cells in aged tissues is an important contributing cause of aging, but it is only one cause of many. Nonetheless, removing even just a third of lingering senescent cells in some tissues produces a degree of rejuvenation in old mice that is large enough to be very interesting. Much of this effect appears mediated by a reduction in inflammatory signaling and thus in the chronic inflammation that disrupts tissue function in later life. We can hope that clinical trials and the ongoing development of first and second generation senolytic therapies to clear senescent cells will demonstrate similar benefits to health in humans. Chronic inflammation, one of the major hallmarks of aging , is thought to be partly caused by senescent cells that may accumulate in older individuals. As we age, a small number of cells in tissues throughout our body become senescent. These cells undergo irreversible cell c...