Senescent cells in human adipose tissue: A cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Cellular senescence
• Adipose tissue biology
• Human physiology

Background:

• Adipose tissue (AT) senescence is linked to dysfunction in rodents.
• Human AT senescence distribution and implications are poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine senescent cell distribution in human abdominal and femoral subcutaneous AT depots.
• To investigate relationships between AT senescence, adiposity, and inflammation.

Main Methods:

• Subcutaneous fat biopsies from 63 volunteers (48 female).
• Quantification of senescent cells via senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining.
• Measurement of fat cell size and cytokine mRNA expression (TNF-α, IL-1β).

Main Results:

• Femoral AT showed a higher proportion of senescent cells than abdominal AT (1.6% difference, p<0.001).
• Femoral AT senescence was higher in women than men (3.9% vs. 2.1%, p<0.01).
• Senescence correlated positively with fat cell size in both depots and with inflammatory markers (TNF-α, IL-1β) in abdominal AT.

Conclusions:

• Human subcutaneous AT exhibits depot-specific differences in senescence.
• Abdominal AT senescence is more strongly associated with inflammatory markers and larger adipocytes.