Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Techniques to Induce and Quantify Cellular Senescence
Published on: May 1, 2017
PPAR-γ agonist Inactivate Cellular Senescence by Inhibiting SIRT1 Signaling to Confer Increased Sensitivity to
Zehua Wang1, Weiwei Miao2, Jianwen Gao3
1Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai Key Lab of Reproduction and Development, Shanghai Key Lab of Female Reproductive Endocrine Related Diseases, Shanghai, China.
Background:
Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor resistance has emerged as a new challenge in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Intervening in cellular senescence to increase the sensitivity of ovarian cancer to olaparib has emerged as a key area of research.
Objective:
To determine the molecular mechanism underlying the antitumor effects of PPAR-γ agonists in promoting sensitivity to olaparib in ovarian cancer cells that induce senescence.
Materials And Methods:
The tumor-inhibitory effects of different PPAR-γ agonists alone or in combination with olaparib were analyzed in a subcutaneous transplanted ovarian tumor model in nude mice. β-Galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining and real-time PCR were used to detect changes in the cellular expression of senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors. Network pharmacological analysis revealed that the molecular mechanism underlying PPAR-γ agonist-mediated enhancement of olaparib's anti-tumor efficacy is mechanistically linked to the SIRT1 signaling pathway. Subsequent functional validation through Western blotting and immunohistochemical analyses elucidated the critical modulatory role of SIRT1 signaling in determining olaparib sensitivity.
Results:
In vivo experiments showed that different PPAR-γ agonists (rosiglitazone and pioglitazone) combined with olaparib significantly reduced the volume of subcutaneously transplanted tumors in the mice. Further studies found that the PPAR-γ agonists inhibited the expression of SIRT1, attenuated olaparib-induced cellular senescence in ovarian cancer cells, and consequently inhibited tumor cell proliferation. Importantly, the SIRT1 overexpression reversed these phenotypic changes.
Conclusions:
PPAR-γ agonists enhance olaparib sensitivity through suppression of the SIRT1 signaling pathway and attenuation of olaparib-induced cellular senescence.
Related Concept Videos
Negative Regulator Molecules
Replicative Cell Senescence
Replicative Cell Senescence
Abnormal Proliferation
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
GPCR Desensitization
