Senolytics: a new weapon against aging

One of the hallmarks of aging is cellular senescence. Cellular senescence is a process by which a cell ages, becoming a particular type of “aged cell” called “zombie” or “senescent” cell. These “senescent cells” accumulate in several organs as we grow older, and are involved in tissue dysfunction and in numerous diseases. The “zombie cells” emit substances that cause inflammation and can harm nearby normal cells, ultimately leading to tissue damage throughout the body. A build-up of senescent cells can lead to chronic inflammation, degradation of tissue function, an increased risk of cancer, and the onset of many other age-related disorders. Scientific studies have shown that removing senescent cells from tissues might help treat some diseases associated with aging. A new class of pharmaceuticals, called “senolitycs”, have been designed to specifically kill these “zombie cells”. Among the chronic conditions successfully treated by depleting senescent cells in preclinical studies are frailty, cardiac dysfunction, diabetes, liver steatosis, osteoporosis, vertebral disk degeneration, pulmonary fibrosis, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. In recent years, emerging natural compounds have been discovered to be effective senolytic agents, such as quercetin, fisetin, and the curcumin analog. Some of the compounds have been validated in animal models and have great potential to be pushed to clinical applications. If clinical trials continue to demonstrate effectiveness and low toxicity of senolitycs, these agents could be important interventions for humans to delay, prevent and treat age‐related diseases.