Senolytic


A senolytic is among a class of small molecules under basic research to determine if they can selectively induce death of senescent cells and improve health in humans. A goal of this research is to discover or develop agents to delay, prevent, alleviate, or reverse age-related diseases. A related concept is "senostatic", which means to suppress senescence.

Research

Possible senolytic agents are under preliminary research, including some which are in early-stage human trials. The majority of candidate senolytic compounds are repurposed anti-cancer molecules, such as the chemotherapeutic drug dasatinib and the experimental small molecule navitoclax.

Senolytic candidates

Although there have been few clinical trials conducted on senolytic candidates to date, one human trial showed that the senolytic candidates dasatinib and quercetin, when administered in combination, may affect the number of senescent cells in certain tissues in humans with diabetic kidney disease.