Senescent Cells and Their Role in Histogenesis

Abstract

Aging, or senescence (from Latin senex—old man), is a biological process characterized by the gradual degradation of organs and systems at various hierarchical levels of structural organization. Currently, the concept of cellular senescence is the prevailing framework for understanding organismal aging. It has been demonstrated that certain cells in developing (prenatal histogenesis) and definitive tissues undergo a series of morphofunctional changes, including increased cell size; disruption of the nuclear envelope; formation of distinct heterochromatin foci; acquisition of a secretory phenotype characterized by the production of proinflammatory cytokines, β-galactosidase, transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), and other factors; and mitotic arrest through the active transcription of p16INK4A and p21CIP1, genes involved in the induction of cellular senescence. It is hypothesized that such cells, referred to as senescent cells, represent an independent functional stage of cytogenesis within tissues rather than merely a transitional form between actively functioning cell lineage elements and those undergoing programmed cell death. The histogenetic significance of senescent cells in both physiological and reparative tissue regeneration, as well as their broader impact on histophysiology, remains to be fully elucidated. The pharmacologic elimination of senescent cells from tissues is an actively developing strategy in anti-aging therapy.

Keywords

senescent cells / aging / histogenesis / age-related histology / age-associated diseases

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Funding

Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian FederationМинистерство науки и высшего образования Российской ФедерацииMinistry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation(FURG-2025-0032)

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