Cellular Senescence & Senolytics
Cleaning House as We Age to Promote Longevity
Cellular senescence is an important biological process that helps protect the body but can also contribute to aging when senescent cells accumulate over time. These living but dysfunctional cells may release inflammatory signaling compounds through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), potentially affecting surrounding tissues and contributing to chronic inflammation, impaired repair, and other age-related changes.
Explore how cellular senescence develops, why it serves valuable roles in tumor suppression, wound healing, and tissue remodeling, and why declining clearance of senescent cells may become problematic as we grow older.
Learn about senolytics, compounds being investigated for their ability to selectively encourage accumulated senescent cells to undergo apoptosis and be removed, as well as senomorphics, which aim to reduce their harmful signaling. Discover the emerging research surrounding natural senolytic compounds such as fisetin and quercetin, the rationale for brief intermittent or “hit-and-run” senolytic strategies, and how supporting healthy senescent-cell clearance may someday complement mitochondrial, metabolic, nutritional, and other approaches to promoting healthspan and healthy aging.
Click above to view on YouTube or here for Rumble
Click above for the pdf of the presentation slides
What if one of the processes contributing to aging is not simply the cellular damage that occurs over time, but the accumulation of damaged and dysfunctional cells that our bodies have failed to remove?
In this webinar, I explore the fascinating science of cellular senescence — a state in which stressed or damaged cells stop dividing but remain alive and biologically active. Cellular senescence actually serves important protective purposes, including preventing damaged cells from continuing to reproduce and participating in wound healing and tissue repair. The problem arises when these cells are no longer efficiently cleared and begin accumulating as we age.
We look at how persistent senescent cells can contribute to chronic inflammation through the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP), their connection with “inflammaging” and other age-related changes, and why cellular senescence is now recognized as one of the major Hallmarks of Aging.
From there, we explore an exciting area of longevity research: SENOLYTICS — compounds being investigated for their ability to selectively encourage accumulated senescent cells to undergo programmed cell death and be cleared from the body.
Particular attention is given to FISETIN, a naturally occurring flavonoid found in strawberries and other foods that has demonstrated intriguing senolytic activity in experimental research. We discuss how fisetin differs when used for its everyday flavonoid benefits versus its potential senolytic effects, why senolytic strategies typically involve brief, intermittent rather than continuous exposure, and the rationale behind periodic “cellular housecleaning.”
Could senolytic support eventually rank alongside mitochondrial support, healthy hormonal and metabolic function, exercise, nutrition, autophagy, and other strategies we use to promote healthier aging?
Join us as we explore this fascinating and rapidly developing piece of the healthy-aging puzzle.