A mouse study published online in Nature Medicine investigating the role of sensescent cells in age-related bone loss found that in aged mice, treatment with senolytic drugs (dasatinib and quercetin) to eliminate sensecent cells resulted in higher bone mass and strength and better bone microarchitecture than in mice treated by genetic vehicle. 

The investigators also achieved a similar result with a JAK inhibitor that inhibited the production of the proinflammatory secretome of senescent cells. The authors write that the beneficial effects of targeting senescent cells arose from lower bone resorption with either maintained (trabecular) or higher (cortical) bone formation as compared with the vehicle-treated mice. The authors note that vitro studies demonstrated that senescent-cell conditioned medium impaired osteoblast mineralization and enhanced osteoclast-progenitor survival, leading to increased osteoclastogenesis. “Collectively, these data establish a causal role for senescent cells in bone loss with aging, and demonstrate that targeting these cells has both anti-resorptive and anabolic effects on bone,” they write. The findings may lead to treatment strategies for other age-related comorbidities. Learn more...