The 99th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society

Chair:Masanori Yoshizumi(Nara Medical University School of Medicine)

Cellular senescence plays an important role in mediating organ dysfunction and aging. Although adult human cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated and rarely proliferate, they can undergo senescence in response to telomere damage in a telomere length-independent manner. Senescent cardiomyocytes propagate senescence to surrounding cells and promote cardiac remodeling. In addition, they activate pro-survival pathways and evade immune-mediated clearance, leading to their persistent accumulation and contributing to cardiac dysfunction.
Recent evidence suggests that selective elimination of senescent cells, termed senolysis, improves organ function and mitigates aging phenotypes in multiple tissues, particularly in those with regenerative capacity. In this seminar, I will discuss whether senolysis targeting cardiomyocytes could improve cardiac function in the heart, an organ with limited regenerative potential.