Drug restores ability to clear senescent cells in older mice

Older mice given an experimental drug for two months cleared more senescent neutrophils and showed lower inflammation, less muscle loss, reduced visceral fat, and better mobility than untreated mice of the same age. The treated mice also performed nearly as well as younger mice on memory tests.

Researchers traced the decline in cell clearance to increased activity of prostaglandin E2, which overstimulates the EP2 receptor on tissue-resident macrophages.

Genetic and drug interventions Genetically modifying the EP2 gene in macrophages of older mice produced similar improvements in cell clearance and aging markers. The same drug that blocks EP2 was then tested orally in unmodified older mice. Liver samples from older people showed higher EP2 activity and more senescent neutrophils than samples from younger people.

Researchers noted that the human findings remain correlative and have not yet demonstrated that blocking EP2 restores clearance in human tissue. The team plans to investigate whether the process affects onset of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

No side effects were observed in the mice during the two-month treatment period.