Reviewing the Role of Cellular Senescence in Pulmonary Fibrosis

The first small human clinical trial of the senolytic therapy of dasatinib and quercetin targeted idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, showing some benefit to patients. Later trials for kidney disease demonstrated that this treatment does remove a fraction of lingering senescent cells in human tissues in much the same way as it does in mice. Senescent cells accumulate with age in tissues throughout the body, the burden of these cells resulting from a growing gap between pace of creation and pace of clearance by the immune system. Researchers are coming to see a prominent role for senescent cells in all fibrotic conditions, in which excess extracellular matrix is produced, disrupting tissue structure and function. Compelling evidence in animal studies demonstrates reversal of fibrosis following senolytic treatment, a goal that is presently hard to achieve for human patients using existing interventions, those presently widely available in the clinic. Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive, devastating, and irreversible interstitial lung disease, with a median survival of 2 to 3 years after diagnosis. The present comprehension of the pathogenesis of PF entails the repetitive injury of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) due to various risk factors, such as environmental exposure, viral infections, genetic predisposition, oxidative stress, and immunological factors. This injury subsequently results in the abnormal activation of AECs and dysregulated epithelial repair ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs