"Scientists uncover a metabolic vulnerability in aging cells that could be key to restoring resilience and combating age-related diseases.*
“As people grow older and become more frail, their bodies often lose tissue reserve capacity. This reserve, known as resilience, allows the body to maintain homeostasis through defense, compensation, modulation, and repair processes. When resilience declines, older adults typically experience reduced daily activity along with a higher likelihood of multimorbidity, meaning the presence of multiple chronic conditions.”
“A key driver of this decline is the buildup of senescent cells—often called “zombie cells”—which no longer divide. The body naturally removes these cells through a process called senolysis, but this clearing system becomes less effective with age.”
Senescent Cells and Inflammation
“Senescent cells can damage surrounding tissue through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP. This process involves the release of pro-inflammatory molecules that disrupt nearby cells. Over time, this contributes to chronic inflammation and the progression of age-related diseases, helping explain the loss of resilience seen in older individuals. However, the connection between metabolic resilience, survival capacity, and SASP has not been fully understood.”
"To explore this, researchers at Kyoto University examined how senescent cells function at a molecular level. They found that these cells rely heavily on glycolysis, the process of breaking down glucose for energy, a trait also seen in cancer cells. The team focused on two molecules involved in this process: phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM), a glycolytic enzyme, and Chk1 kinase, which bind together in cancer cells to boost glycolysis."
More details at;
https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-discover-new-way-to-eliminate-zombie-cells-driving-aging/