Eliminating senescent macrophages reverses fatty liver in mice

UCLA researchers identify a population of p21+ TREM2+ senescent macrophages that drive liver inflammation and fatty liver; removing them in mice on a fatty/high-cholesterol diet reverses liver damage and inflammation without changing diet, using the senolytic drug ABT-263. However, ABT-263 is too toxic for humans, so researchers are seeking safer therapies, and human liver data show higher senescent macrophage signatures in diseased livers, suggesting potential relevance to people and other aging-related diseases.