Recycling senescent cell lipids for targeted senotherapy

Senescent cells (SnCs) are increasingly recognized as key contributors to osteoarthritis, with conventional strategies centered on their elimination. However, senolytic approaches face mounting limitations, driving the need for refined interventions. Here, we exploit SnCs' lipid metabolic signature to develop a senotherapeutic strategy. Given the universal lipid accumulation in SnCs and the dual role of lipids as both metabolic liabilities and essential lubricants, we engineer an injectable nanoliposuction hydrogel platform designed for "waste recycling". This system removes excess lipids to mitigate senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) propagation and incorporates the harvested lipids as a pivotal component of the biomimetic lubricating system, thereby alleviating mechanical allodynia and cartilage wear. This strategy circumvents potential side effects associated with direct SnCs clearance and repurposes these traditionally harmful cells as functional resources. Our findings establish a shift in the philosophy of senescence therapy, transitioning the focus from destructive ablation to spatially adaptive reallocation of metabolites.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-03-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70486-0
Primary Topic
Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Recycling senescent cell lipids for targeted senotherapy

Kanbin Wang, Xinzi He, Honglu Cai, Zhang Lin et al.
Nature Communications
Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
article

Recycling senescent cell lipids for targeted senotherapy

Kanbin Wang, Xinzi He, Honglu Cai, Zhang Lin, Yiying Qi, Guangyao Jiang, Jiajie Wang, Wangmi Liu, Jinfeng Zhou, Changjian Lin, Xiaoxiao Ji, Yifan Wu, Gang Feng, Hao Zhou, Xiaoyong Wu, Kaicheng Xu, Peng Tang, Zihao Qu, Shigui Yan
article en

Abstract

Senescent cells (SnCs) are increasingly recognized as key contributors to osteoarthritis, with conventional strategies centered on their elimination. However, senolytic approaches face mounting limitations, driving the need for refined interventions. Here, we exploit SnCs' lipid metabolic signature to develop a senotherapeutic strategy. Given the universal lipid accumulation in SnCs and the dual role of lipids as both metabolic liabilities and essential lubricants, we engineer an injectable nanoliposuction hydrogel platform designed for "waste recycling". This system removes excess lipids to mitigate senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) propagation and incorporates the harvested lipids as a pivotal component of the biomimetic lubricating system, thereby alleviating mechanical allodynia and cartilage wear. This strategy circumvents potential side effects associated with direct SnCs clearance and repurposes these traditionally harmful cells as functional resources. Our findings establish a shift in the philosophy of senescence therapy, transitioning the focus from destructive ablation to spatially adaptive reallocation of metabolites.

Nature Communications
Implant Sciences (United States) (US), Zhejiang University Medical College Affiliated Stomatological Hospital (CN), Zhejiang Lab (CN), Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (CN), Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (CN), Zhejiang University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 23%
Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
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