Scientists at Harvard Medical School and Mayo Clinic (HMS) found that senolytic drugs prevented the development of physical and cognitive impairments in patients receiving organs from older donors. They also showed improved health and fitness in older mice treated with them. The work is available at: European Organ Transplantation Association Congress (ESOT) 2023.
In the new study, scientists transplanted the hearts of both young (three months old) and old (18-21 months old) mice into younger individuals. Older heart recipients had increased numbers of senescent cells in their lymph nodes, liver, and muscles. Transplantation of old organs caused not only severe physical but also cognitive impairments in recipient animals.
Scientists found that taking senolytics, a new class of drugs designed specifically to target and destroy senescent cells, may prevent these problems. The drugs dasatinib and quercetin given to aged animals before organ harvesting significantly reduced the number of senescent cells and improved the rodents’ physical health.
“The age of the donor plays a critical role in transplant success, as older organ recipients face worse short- and long-term outcomes. However, the use of old donor organs is important to address the global organ shortage, and this study highlights the key challenges and potential for the use of old organs.” highlights solutions,” said study author Maximilian J. Rosel.
Previous scientists to create A possible solution to the donor organ shortage.