Senolytics
Clinical reviewer: Jacob Moore, MD · Last checked September 22, 2026
What are senolytics?
Senolytics are a class of drugs that selectively clear senescent, or aged and dysfunctional, cells from the body. The first senolytics identified, dasatinib, quercetin, fisetin and navitoclax, were found using a hypothesis-driven approach, and researchers say they can be given intermittently because senescent cells take weeks to reaccumulate. They are not peptides.
How do senolytics work?
Senolytics are a class of drugs that selectively clear senescent cells, the aged, dysfunctional cells that build up in tissue over time [1]. Because senescent cells take weeks to reaccumulate, researchers describe dosing senolytics only intermittently as a "hit-and-run" approach rather than continuously [1].
What do the human pilot studies show?
In a 2019 open-label trial, nine adults with diabetic kidney disease took dasatinib plus quercetin for three days; the combination reduced senescent cell burden in fat tissue within 11 days [2]. A 2023 phase 1 trial gave the same combination to twelve people with pulmonary fibrosis over three weeks, found no serious drug-related adverse events, but reported sleep disturbances and anxiety more often in the treated group (4 of 6) than placebo (0 of 6), and called for a larger trial [3].
Are senolytics ready to use outside a clinical trial?
Not yet, according to a 2020 review. Early pilot trials suggest senolytics can decrease senescent cells, reduce inflammation and ease frailty in humans, but the review states it is "too early for senolytics to be used outside of clinical trials" until larger studies are done [1]. In mice, intermittent senolytics increased survival by 36% and reduced the hazard of death to 65% in one study, though that has not been shown in humans [4]. Senolytics are not peptides.
Related terms
Sources
- Kirkland JL, Tchkonia T. Senolytic drugs, from discovery to translation. J Intern Med, 2020.
- Hickson LJ et al. Senolytics decrease senescent cells in humans, preliminary report from a clinical trial of dasatinib plus quercetin in individuals with diabetic kidney disease. EBioMedicine, 2019.
- Nambiar A et al. Senolytics dasatinib and quercetin in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, results of a phase I, single-blind, single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial on feasibility and tolerability. EBioMedicine, 2023.
- Xu M et al. Senolytics improve physical function and increase lifespan in old age. Nat Med, 2018.
This entry is for education and is not medical advice. Talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.
