Mitochondrially Targeted Tamoxifen as a Senolytic Drug

Researchers here note that mitochondrially targeted tamoxifen, developed as a cancer therapeutic, is sufficiently senolytic to treat conditions in which senescent cells play a significant role. They have chosen to target type 2 diabetes, a case of following the money given the present epidemic of obesity. It is actually quite surprising that few of the groups developing novel senolytic drugs have set their sights on diabetes, given the solid evidence of the past few years for the pathology of both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes to be mediated in large part by cellular senescence. Senescent cells play an important role in the induction of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pathogenesis. Considering that metabolic and signaling changes associated with T2DM can promote senescence, senescent cells are components of the "pathogenic loop" in diabetes. In obese and diabetic mice, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is the most prominent compartment of senescent cells accumulation. VAT, therefore, presents the nexus of mechanisms involved in longevity and age-related metabolic dysfunctions. A close relationship between visceral fat content and the risk of T2DM and cardiovascular complications has also been demonstrated in humans. Components of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) secreted by adipose-derived senescent cells confer insulin resistance to metabolic tissues and attract immune cells that can exacerbate the effects of insulin resistance. Moreover, there...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs