A new anti-aging concept that has appeared in the medical world: the use of senolytic molecules that promote rejuvenation by specifically eliminating senescent cells without harming healthy cells. This concept has just been adapted to the cosmetics industry by the Swiss group Mibelle Biochemistry. In a videoconference organized on May 27th by in-cosmetics Global, Dr. Fred Zülli and Dr. Franziska Wandrey presented their brand new active ingredient: Alpine Rose Active.
Of course, zombies, the undead who sow terror in many horror movies, don’t really exist in real life. In no skin, on the other hand, zombie cells are not a myth: “they are real, and we have every reason to fear them,” said Franziska Wandrey.
Zombie cells and senolytics
Senescent cells, those cells whose division process has been stopped, are not dead cells but zombies since they can damage or even “infect” healthy cells which in turn become senescent.
Senolytics are weapons of choice to fight zombie cells. These molecules, which take their name from the words “senescence” and “lytic” (literally: which fragments or disintegrates), have the property of targeting zombie cells to eliminate them, without damaging healthy cells. This is the mode of action of certain anti-cancer drugs, which destroy diseased cells while preserving the health of healthy cells.
In our skin, when fibroblasts of the dermis age or have undergone too much oxidative stress (due to UV exposure or pollution, for example), they can enter the world of zombies. They can then block the intracellular pathways that normally lead to their apoptosis (their death and elimination). These zombie cells, which thus prevent their own death, continue to secrete …
