Senescence and tissue fibrosis: opportunities for therapeutic targeting.

Steven O'Reilly, Pei-Suen Tsou, John Varga

Bioscience Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham, UK. Electronic address: [email protected] Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham, UK. Electronic address: [email protected]. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

Cellular senescence is a key hallmark of aging. It has now emerged as a key mediator in normal tissue turnover and is associated with a variety of age-related diseases, including organ-specific fibrosis and systemic sclerosis (SSc). This review discusses the recent evidence of the role of senescence in tissue fibrosis, with an emphasis on SSc, a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease. We discuss the physiological role of these cells, their role in fibrosis, and that targeting these cells specifically could be a new therapeutic avenue in fibrotic disease. We argue that targeting senescent cells, with senolytics or senomorphs, is a viable therapeutic target in fibrotic diseases which remain largely intractable.

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Research summary

The paper discusses the role of cellular senescence in tissue fibrosis and its implications for age-related diseases, specifically systemic sclerosis. By focusing on the potential therapeutic targeting of senescent cells, it addresses a root cause of aging-related pathology rather than merely treating symptoms. However, while the findings are solid and contribute to the understanding of senescence in fibrotic diseases, the impact is limited as it primarily reviews existing evidence rather than presenting novel experimental data or groundbreaking insights.

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