The Dual Nature of Cellular Senescence: From Aging Signature to Regenerative Catalyst
January 2025
in “
Research
”
TLDR Cellular senescence can both hinder and promote hair growth, suggesting new ways to treat hair loss.
This perspective highlights the dual role of cellular senescence in tissue biology, particularly its unexpected regenerative potential in hair growth. Traditionally seen as detrimental, senescence has been found to have beneficial effects, such as senescent melanocytes stimulating hair follicle stem cells via the osteopontin-CD44 pathway. This challenges conventional views and suggests that senescence is a complex, context-dependent phenomenon. The findings imply that senescence-targeted therapies require a nuanced approach and open new possibilities for treating hair loss, emphasizing the need to understand senescent cell heterogeneity for precise regenerative medicine strategies.
