Current senolytics: Mode of action, efficacy and limitations, and their future

Mechanisms and strategies of immunosenescence effects on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment: A comprehensive analysis and future directions

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the most prevalent form of lung cancer, remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, particularly among elderly individuals. The phenomenon of immunosenescence, characterized by the progressive decline in immune cell functionality with aging, plays a pivotal role in NSCLC progression and contributes to the diminished efficacy of therapeutic interventions in older patients. Immunosenescence manifests through impaired immune surveillance, reduced cytotoxic responses, and increased chronic inflammation, collectively fostering a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the molecular, cellular, and genetic mechanisms of immunosenescence and its impact on immune surveillance and the tumor microenvironment (TME) in NSCLC. We explore how aging affects various immune cells, including T cells, B cells, NK cells, and macrophages, and how these changes compromise the immune system's ability to detect and eliminate tumor cells. Furthermore, we address the challenges posed by immunosenescence to current therapeutic strategies, particularly immunotherapy, which faces significant hurdles in elderly patients due to immune dysfunction. The review highlights emerging technologies, such as single-cell sequencing and CRISPR-Cas9, which offer new insights into immunosenescence and its potential as a therapeutic target. Finally, we outline future research directions, including strategies for rejuvenating the aging immune system and optimizing immunotherapy for older NSCLC patients, with the goal of improving treatment efficacy and survival outcomes. These efforts hold promise for the development of more effective, personalized therapies for elderly patients with NSCLC.

Targeting treatment resistance in cervical cancer: A new avenue for senolytic therapies

Cervical cancer poses a significant global health challenge, particularly impacting women in economically developing nations. This disparity stems from a combination of factors, including inadequate screening infrastructure and resource limitations. However, the foremost contributor is the widespread lack of awareness and limited accessibility to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, which is a key preventative measure against cervical cancer development. Despite advancements in cervical cancer prevention, treatment resistance remains a major hurdle in achieving improved patient outcomes. Cellular senescence, specifically the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and its bidirectional relationship with the immune system, has been implicated in resistance to conventional cervical cancer chemotherapy treatments. The exact mechanisms by which this state of growth arrest and the associated changes in immune regulation contribute to cervical cancer progression and the associated drug resistance are not entirely understood. This underscores the necessity for innovative strategies to address the prevalence of treatment-resistant cervical cancer, with one promising avenue being the utilisation of senolytics. Senolytics are agents that have promising efficacy in clearing senescent cells from tumour tissues, however neither the utilisation of senolytics for addressing senescence-induced treatment resistance nor the potential integration of immunotherapy as senolytic agents in cervical cancer treatment has been explored to date. This review provides a concise overview of the mechanisms underlying senescence induction and the pivotal role of the immune system in this process. Additionally, it explores various senolytic approaches that hold significant potential for advancing cervical cancer research.

Targeting senescent cells in aging and COVID-19: from cellular mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global health crisis and significant social economic burden. While most individuals experience mild or non-specific symptoms, elderly individuals are at a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and life-threatening complications. Exploring the key factors associated with clinical severity highlights that key characteristics of aging, such as cellular senescence, immune dysregulation, metabolic alterations, and impaired regenerative potential, contribute to disruption of tissue homeostasis of the lung and worse clinical outcome. Senolytic and senomorphic drugs, which are anti-aging treatments designed to eliminate senescent cells or decrease the associated phenotypes, have shown promise in alleviating age-related dysfunctions and offer a novel approach to treating diseases that share certain aspects of underlying mechanisms with aging, including COVID-19. This review summarizes the current understanding of aging in COVID-19 progression, and highlights recent findings on anti-aging drugs that could be repurposed for COVID-19 treatment to complement existing therapies.

Senescent cell-derived vaccines: a new concept towards an immune response against cancer and aging?

Two recent seminal works have untangled the intricate role of tumor-associated senescent cells in cancer progression, or regression, by guiding our immune system against cancer cells. The characterization of these unique, yet diverse cell populations, should be considered, particularly when contemplating the use of senolytics, which are drugs that selectively eliminate senescent cells, in a cancer framework. Here, we will describe the current knowledge in this field. In particular, we will discuss how the presence of senescent cells in tumors could be used as a therapeutic target in immunogenic cancers and how we may hypothetically design an adaptive anti-aging vaccine.

Cellular Aging and Senescence in Cancer: A Holistic Review of Cellular Fate Determinants

This comprehensive review navigates the complex relationship between cellular aging, senescence, and cancer, unraveling the determinants of cellular fate. Beginning with an overview of cellular aging's significance in cancer, the review explores processes, changes, and molecular pathways influencing senescence. The review explores senescence as a dual mechanism in cancer, acting as a suppressor and contributor, focusing on its impact on therapy response. This review highlights opportunities for cancer therapies that target cellular senescence. The review further examines the senescence-associated secretory phenotype and strategies to modulate cellular aging to influence tumor behavior. Additionally, the review highlights the mechanisms of senescence escape in aging and cancer cells, emphasizing their impact on cancer prognosis and resistance to therapy. The article addresses current advances, unexplored aspects, and future perspectives in understanding cellular aging and senescence in cancer.

Focus on senescence: Clinical significance and practical applications

The older population is increasing worldwide, and life expectancy is continuously rising, predominantly thanks to medical and technological progress. Healthspan refers to the number of years an individual can live in good health. From a gerontological viewpoint, the mission is to extend the life spent in good health, promoting well-being and minimizing the impact of aging-related diseases to slow the aging process. Biologically, aging is a malleable process characterized by an intra- and inter-individual heterogeneous and dynamic balance between accumulating damage and repair mechanisms. Cellular senescence is a key component of this process, with senescent cells accumulating in different tissues and organs, leading to aging and age-related disease susceptibility over time. Removing senescent cells from the body or slowing down the burden rate has been proposed as an efficient way to reduce age-dependent deterioration. In animal models, senotherapeutic molecules can extend life expectancy and lifespan by either senolytic or senomorphic activity. Much research shows that dietary and physical activity-driven lifestyle interventions protect against senescence. This narrative review aims to summarize the current knowledge on targeting senescent cells to reduce the risk of age-related disease in animal models and their translational potential for humans. We focused on studies that have examined the potential role of senotherapeutics in slowing the aging process and modifying age-related disease burdens. The review concludes with a general discussion of the mechanisms underlying this unique trajectory and its implications for future research.

Revolutionizing Diabetic Foot Ulcer Care: The Senotherapeutic Approach

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a prevalent and profoundly debilitating complication that afflicts individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). These ulcers are associated with substantial morbidity, recurrence rates, disability, and mortality, imposing substantial economic, psychological, and medical burdens. Timely detection and intervention can mitigate the morbidity and disparities linked to DFU. Nevertheless, current therapeutic approaches for DFU continue to grapple with multifaceted limitations. A growing body of evidence emphasizes the crucial role of cellular senescence in the pathogenesis of chronic wounds. Interventions that try to delay cellular senescence, eliminate senescent cells (SnCs), or suppress the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) have shown promise for helping chronic wounds to heal. In this context, targeting cellular senescence emerges as a novel therapeutic strategy for DFU. In this comprehensive review, we look at the pathology and treatment of DFU in a systematic way. We also explain the growing importance of investigating SnCs in DFU and highlight the great potential of senotherapeutics that target SnCs in DFU treatment. The development of efficacious and safe senotherapeutics represents a pioneering therapeutic approach aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals affected by DFU.