1. Cellular Senescence Contributes to Large Elastic Artery Stiffening and Endothelial Dysfunction With Aging: Amelioration With Senolytic Treatment.
- Author
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Clayton ZS, Rossman MJ, Mahoney SA, Venkatasubramanian R, Maurer GS, Hutton DA, VanDongen NS, Greenberg NT, Longtine AG, Ludwig KR, Brunt VE, LaRocca TJ, Campisi J, Melov S, and Seals DR
- Subjects
- Mice, Animals, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Pulse Wave Analysis, Cellular Senescence, Aging, Arteries, Nitric Oxide, Senotherapeutics, Vascular Diseases
- Abstract
Background: Here, we assessed the role of cellular senescence and the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in age-related aortic stiffening and endothelial dysfunction., Methods: We studied young (6-8 mo) and old (27-29 mo) p16-3MR mice, which allows for genetic-based clearance of senescent cells with ganciclovir (GCV). We also treated old C57BL/6N mice with the senolytic ABT-263., Results: In old mice, GCV reduced aortic stiffness assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV; 477±10 vs. 382±7 cm/s, P <0.05) to young levels (old-GCV vs. young-vehicle, P =0.35); ABT-263 also reduced aortic PWV in old mice (446±9 to 356±11 cm/s, P <0.05). Aortic adventitial collagen was reduced by GCV ( P <0.05) and ABT-263 ( P =0.12) in old mice. To show an effect of the circulating SASP, we demonstrated that plasma exposure from Old-vehicle p16-3MR mice, but not from Old-GCV mice, induced aortic stiffening assessed ex vivo (elastic modulus; P <0.05). Plasma proteomics implicated glycolysis in circulating SASP-mediated aortic stiffening. In old p16-3MR mice, GCV increased endothelial function assessed via peak carotid artery endothelium-dependent dilation (EDD; Old-GCV, 94±1% vs. Old-vehicle, 84±2%, P <0.05) to young levels (Old-GCV vs. young-vehicle, P =0.98), and EDD was higher in old C57BL/6N mice treated with ABT-263 vs. vehicle (96±1% vs. 82±3%, P <0.05). Improvements in endothelial function were mediated by increased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability ( P <0.05) and reduced oxidative stress ( P <0.05). Circulating SASP factors related to NO signaling were associated with greater NO-mediated EDD following senescent cell clearance., Conclusions: Cellular senescence and the SASP contribute to vascular aging and senolytics hold promise for improving age-related vascular function., Competing Interests: Disclosures None.
- Published
- 2023
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