What is the Origin of Senolytic Drug Therapy?

The term is a combination of the Latin prefix senex, meaning old, and the Greek suffix lytic, meaning to destroy or dissolve. This field of therapeutic research emerged from the discovery that senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute significantly to tissue dysfunction and disease. It is a direct application of molecular gerontology aimed at extending healthspan.

What is the Mechanism of Senolytic Drug Therapy?

Senolytic drugs function by targeting the pro-survival pathways that senescent cells utilize to resist apoptosis, effectively lowering their survival threshold. Once cleared, the tissue microenvironment is restored, reducing the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which is a major source of chronic, low-grade systemic inflammation. The removal of these dysfunctional cells allows for healthier tissue regeneration and improved organ function.

Senolytic Drug Therapy ∞ Area

Senolytic Drug Therapy

Meaning

Senolytic Drug Therapy is a pharmacological intervention utilizing specific small-molecule compounds designed to selectively induce programmed cell death, or apoptosis, in senescent cells—those damaged cells that have ceased dividing but remain metabolically active and secrete pro-inflammatory factors. The clinical objective is to clear these persistent, dysfunctional cells from tissues to reduce the associated chronic inflammation and mitigate age-related pathology. This therapy represents a frontier in targeting a fundamental hallmark of biological aging.