Quercetin rejuvenates aged adipose progenitor cells by attenuating inflammatory pathways

The mass of inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT) decreases with age, and its dysfunction contributes to systemic effects, including chronic inflammation, ectopic lipid deposition, and insulin resistance. However, the molecular and functional characteristics of aged adipose progenitor cells (APCs), as well as effective strategies to rejuvenate their adipogenic potential, remain poorly understood. In this study, we found that aged mice exhibited a reduced frequency of APCs, increased inflammatory activity, and impaired adipogenic differentiation capacity. Strikingly, while quercetin exerted concentration-dependent effects on the vitality and function of APCs, only moderate doses specifically restored the adipogenic differentiation of aged APCs. Mechanistically, this rejuvenating effect was primarily mediated through the suppression of pro-inflammatory pathways. Together, our findings provide novel mechanistic insights into APCs aging in iWAT and identify quercetin as a promising rejuvenative agent for the treatment of adipose tissue dysfunction and related metabolic disorders in aging.