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Volume 61
Issue 12
10.3390/medicina61122137
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Review

The Emerging Role of Senolysis in Atherosclerosis

by
Sylvia Vagena
1,2,†,
Giorgos Theocharous
2,†,
Alexios Theodorou
1,†,
Pavlos Pantelis
2,
Miltiadis Gravanis
3,
Linnea Tscheuschner
1,
Andreas Theodorou
1,
George Galyfos
1,
Frangiska Sigala
1,
Nefeli Lagopati
4,5,* and
Athanassios Kotsinas
2,*
1
Department of Vascular Surgery, 1st Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, Hippocratio General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
2
Molecular Carcinogenesis Group, Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, National Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), 11527 Athens, Greece
3
Department of Interventional Radiology, General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
4
Laboratory of Biology, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
5
Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Medicina 2025, 61(12), 2137; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61122137 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 4 October 2025 / Revised: 25 November 2025 / Accepted: 26 November 2025 / Published: 29 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Cardiology)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Atherosclerosis, a major contributor to vascular damage and plaque formation, is brought on by cellular senescence and chronic inflammation. A crucial matter that emerges is the classification of the disease in order to understand the pathogenic mechanisms before treatment. Given that oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation contribute to cellular senescence, an increase in pro-inflammatory factors is detected in the atherosclerotic plaque, which exacerbates its instability while impeding vascular repair. This study emphasizes the importance of pathways such as Nrf2, ICAM-1, and p38 MAPK/p16INK4A in the development of atherosclerosis. It also underscores the potential of senescence-targeting interventions to complement the conventional treatments for atherosclerosis. The study promotes using senolytic approaches that may serve as effective adjuncts to conventional pharmacological treatments for atherosclerosis. Particularly, quercetin, a flavonoid, demonstrates a potential action as senolytic agent by mitigating macrophage senescence, improving lipid profiles, and reducing plaque size of up to 56% in experimental models. This review article advocates for integrating senolytic approaches, including nutraceuticals like quercetin and combination therapies, to improve cardiovascular health and age-related vascular disorders.
Keywords: cellular senescence; atherosclerosis; senolytics; vascular damage; chronic disease cellular senescence; atherosclerosis; senolytics; vascular damage; chronic disease

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Vagena, S.; Theocharous, G.; Theodorou, A.; Pantelis, P.; Gravanis, M.; Tscheuschner, L.; Theodorou, A.; Galyfos, G.; Sigala, F.; Lagopati, N.; et al. The Emerging Role of Senolysis in Atherosclerosis. Medicina 2025, 61, 2137. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61122137

AMA Style

Vagena S, Theocharous G, Theodorou A, Pantelis P, Gravanis M, Tscheuschner L, Theodorou A, Galyfos G, Sigala F, Lagopati N, et al. The Emerging Role of Senolysis in Atherosclerosis. Medicina. 2025; 61(12):2137. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61122137

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vagena, Sylvia, Giorgos Theocharous, Alexios Theodorou, Pavlos Pantelis, Miltiadis Gravanis, Linnea Tscheuschner, Andreas Theodorou, George Galyfos, Frangiska Sigala, Nefeli Lagopati, and et al. 2025. "The Emerging Role of Senolysis in Atherosclerosis" Medicina 61, no. 12: 2137. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61122137

APA Style

Vagena, S., Theocharous, G., Theodorou, A., Pantelis, P., Gravanis, M., Tscheuschner, L., Theodorou, A., Galyfos, G., Sigala, F., Lagopati, N., & Kotsinas, A. (2025). The Emerging Role of Senolysis in Atherosclerosis. Medicina, 61(12), 2137. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61122137

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