The tissue surrounding amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, which are characteristic of Alzheimers disease (AD), shows local inflammation and neuritic degeneration. Here, Aβ-containing brain tissue from a mouse model of AD and from humans with AD were shown to contain OLIG2- and NG2-expressing oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) that showed upregulation of senescence-associated proteins. Administration of a cocktail of dasatinib and quercetin (drugs that trigger apoptosis in senescent cells) in mice reduced the numbers of senescent OPCs and activated microglia. Such treatment might have therapeutic potential in humans with AD.
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Zhang, P. et al. Senolytic therapy alleviates Aβ-associated oligodendrocyte progenitor cell senescence and cognitive deficits in an Alzheimer’s disease model. Nat. Neurosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0372-9 (2019)
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Lewis, S. Targeting senescence. Nat Rev Neurosci 20, 317 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0173-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-019-0173-x
