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Updated: Oct 10, 2025

SA-β-Galactosidase-Based Screening Assay for the Identification of Senotherapeutic Drugs
Published on: June 28, 2019
Is it the time of seno-therapeutics application in cardiovascular pathological conditions related to ageing?
Carmela Rita Balistreri1, Rosalinda Madonna2,3, Peter Ferdinandy4,5
1Department of BioMedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Insights
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) will cause 40% of deaths by 2030. Senotherapeutics, including senolytics and senomorphics, show promise in targeting senescent cells to combat cardiovascular ageing and related diseases.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular medicine
- Gerontology
- Cellular biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are projected to be the leading cause of death by 2030.
- Cardiovascular ageing, characterized by senescent cell accumulation, drives age-related cardiovascular conditions.
- Senescent cells (SC) promote inflammation and fibrosis via the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review emerging senotherapeutic strategies for cardiovascular ageing.
- To discuss senolytics, senomorphics, and SC proliferation inhibitors for CVD treatment.
- To evaluate the clinical potential, benefits, and limitations of these anti-ageing therapies for CVD.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of senotherapeutics targeting senescent cells.
- Analysis of current research on senolytics and senomorphics in cardiovascular contexts.
- Discussion of potential clinical applications and future directions for anti-ageing medicine in CVD.
Main Results:
- Senotherapeutics offer novel approaches to combat cardiovascular ageing.
- Senolytics selectively eliminate senescent cells, while senomorphics modulate the SASP.
- Inhibition of SC accumulation presents another therapeutic avenue.
Conclusions:
- Senotherapeutics hold significant potential for treating and preventing age-related cardiovascular diseases.
- Addressing senescent cells and their associated phenotypes is crucial for cardiovascular health.
- Further research is needed to optimize senotherapeutic strategies for clinical application in CVD.
Abstract:
It rates that in 2030, the cardiovascular diseases (CVD) will result in 40% of all deaths and rank as the leading cause. Thus, the research of appropriate therapies able to delay or retard their onset and progression is growing. Of particular interest is a new branch of the medical science, called anti-ageing medicine since CVD are the result of cardiovascular ageing. Senescent cells (SC) accumulate in cardiovascular system contributing to the onset of typical age-related cardiovascular conditions (i.e., atherosclerosis, medial aorta degeneration, vascular remodeling, stiffness). Such conditions progress in cardiovascular pathologies (i.e., heart failure, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and aneurysms) by evocating the production of a proinflammatory and profibrotic senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Consequently, therapies able to specifically eliminate SC are in developing. The senotherapeutics represents an emerging anti-SC treatment, and comprises three therapeutic approaches: (a) molecules to selectively kill SC, defined senolytics; (b) compounds able in reducing evocated SC SASP, acting hence as SASP suppressors, or capable to change the senescent phenotype, called senomorphics; (c) inhibition of increase of the number of SC in the tissues. Here, it describes them and the emerging data about current investigations on their potential clinical application in CVD, stressing benefits and limitations, and suggesting potential solutions for applying them in near future as effective anti-CVD treatments.
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