Senescence

Senescence is the biological aging process where the cells have reached their Hayflick's limit which causes the cell cycle to halt so it can no longer divide.

Cellular senescence

• Senescent cells are unique in that they eventually stop multiplying but don’t die off when they should.
• They instead remain and continue to release chemicals that can trigger inflammation.
• Not all senescent cells are bad.
• The molecules and compounds expressed by senescent cells (known as the senescent secretome) play important roles across the lifespan, including in embryonic development, childbirth, and wound healing.

Conditions associated with cellular senescence

Cellular senescence has been connected to a multitude of age-related conditions, including

• cancer,
• diabetes,
• osteoporosis,
• cardiovascular disease,
• stroke,
• Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and
• osteoarthritis.

Cellular senescence has also been linked to declines in eyesight, mobility, and thinking ability.

Research

Researchers are exploring whether learning to harness a cellular state known as senescence — during which damaged cells resist removal by apoptosis, linger, and harm neighboring normal cells — might hold the key to revitalizing aging tissues and increasing healthy, active years of life.