Aging is a major risk factor of atherosclerosis through different complex pathways including replicative cellular senescence and age-related clonal hematopoiesis. In addition to aging, extracellular stress factors, such as mechanical and oxidative stress, can induce cellular senescence, defined as premature cellular senescence. Senescent cells can accumulate within atherosclerotic plaques over time and contribute to plaque instability. This review summarizes the role of cellular senescence in the complex pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and highlights the most important senotherapeutics tested in cardiovascular studies targeting senescence. Continued bench-to-bedside research in cellular senescence might allow the future implementation of new effective anti-atherosclerotic preventive and treatment strategies in clinical practice.
Keywords: atherosclerosis; cellular senescence; inflammation; oxidative stress; senotherapeutics.