Senotherapy is an early-stage basic research field for development of possible therapeutic agents and strategies to specifically target

cellular senescence Cellular senescence is a phenomenon characterized by the cessation of cell division. In their experiments during the early 1960s, Leonard Hayflick and Paul Moorhead found that normal human fetal fibroblasts in culture reach a maximum of approxi ...

, an altered cell state associated with ageing and age-related diseases. The name derives from intent of the proposed anti-aging drug to halt "senescence". As of 2019, much of the research remains preliminary and there are no drugs approved for this purpose.

Types

Senotherapeutics include: *

Geroprotector A geroprotector is a senotherapeutic that aims to affect the root cause of aging and age-related diseases, and thus prolong the life span of animals. Some possible geroprotectors include melatonin, carnosine, metformin, rapamycin,nicotinamide m ...

s – agents/strategies which prevent or reverse the senescent state by preventing triggers of cellular senescence, such as

DNA damage DNA repair is a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome. In human cells, both normal metabolic activities and environmental factors such as radiation can cause DNA da ...

, oxidative stress, proteotoxic stress,

telomere A telomere (; ) is a region of repetitive nucleotide sequences associated with specialized proteins at the ends of linear chromosomes. Although there are different architectures, telomeres, in a broad sense, are a widespread genetic feature mos ...

shortening (i.e.

telomerase Telomerase, also called terminal transferase, is a ribonucleoprotein that adds a species-dependent telomere repeat sequence to the 3' end of telomeres. A telomere is a region of repetitive sequences at each end of the chromosomes of most euka ...

activators). * SASP inhibitors – agents interfering with pro-inflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) production, including: *#

Glucocorticoid Glucocorticoids (or, less commonly, glucocorticosteroids) are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor that is present in almost every vertebr ...

s as potent suppressors of selected components of the SASP *# Statins such as simvastatin, that can reduce the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1) *# JAK1/2 inhibitors such as

ruxolitinib Ruxolitinib, sold under the brand names Jakafi and Jakavi, is a medication used for the treatment of intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis, a type of myeloproliferative disorder that affects the bone marrow; polycythemia vera (PCV), when there ...

*# NF-κB and p38 inhibitors *#

IL-1α Interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) also known as hematopoietin 1 is a cytokine of the interleukin 1 family that in humans is encoded by the ''IL1A'' gene. In general, Interleukin 1 is responsible for the production of inflammation, as well as the p ...

blockers *# Mitochondrial depleters in the case of impaired mitophagy * Senolytics – small molecules that specifically induce cell death in senescent cells, targeting survival pathways and anti-apoptotic mechanisms,

antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of the ...

and antibody-mediated drug delivery medications. Unlike SASP inhibitors, senolytics can be effective by intermittent rather than continuous application. * Senomorphics – small molecules that suppress senescent phenotypes without cell killing *

Gene therapy Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...

strategies – edit the genes of the cells of an organism in order to increase their resistance to aging, senile diseases and to prolong the life of the organism

Types

See also

References

Further reading