What is it about?
The worst effects of COVID-19 are felt by the elderly. Could there be a link between COVID-19 and cellular senescence, the phenomenon of 'cell-aging' where cells lose their ability to grow and replicate and exhibit a more pro-inflammatory state as people age?
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Why is it important?
Surface proteins such as vimentin and CD26 that are differentially expressed on senescent cells seem important for SARS-CoV-2 attachment and internalization. Some potential therapeutic agents against this novel virus also exhibit senolytic and anti-inflammatory actions, implicating that their beneficial effects could, in part, be attributed to their senescent cell removal and the associated inflammatory phenotype neutralizing properties. Elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms that connect cellular senescence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection might help direct towards development of effective therapeutics for elderly patients of COVID-19.
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This page is a summary of: Cellular Senescence and COVID-19, Coronaviruses, November 2021, Bentham Science Publishers,
DOI: 10.2174/2666796701666210108120344.
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