Current Advances in Cellular Senescence and Senolytics

Cellular senescence is mainly described as a stable cell cycle arrest and SASP (senescenceassociated secretory phenotype). Theoretically, senescence is mainly induced by diverse stimuli including telomere shortening, oncogene activation, oxidative stress and DNA damage. It has been demonstrated that time dependent short-term induction of cellular senescence plays beneficial roles in terms of embryonic development, wound healing and tumor suppression; whereas long-term accumulation of senescent cells in tissues is harmful and may contribute to cancer progression, aging or age-associated disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that selectively killing senescent cells can extend healthy lifespan and restore physical function, which bring the senescence field to an even higher interesting grade than ever before. Here, the review will discuss the characters, functions and mechanisms of cellular senescence, together with the development of senolytics, thus aiming to provide theoretical targets for aging and age-related diseases.