Longevity & AgingFisetin Supplements Reverse Age-Related Muscle Decline as Effectively as Genetic Senescent Cell Clearance
Researchers at the University of Colorado tested whether the natural flavonoid fisetin could reverse age-related physical decline in mice. Old mice given intermittent fisetin (1 week on, 2 weeks off, 1 week on) showed significantly reduced frailty scores and improved grip strength compared to untreated old mice. These gains were accompanied by lower expression of cellular senescence genes in skeletal muscle, including Cdkn1a and Ddit4. Crucially, fisetin produced no effects in young mice, suggesting it specifically targets excess senescent cells. The improvements matched those seen with genetic clearance of p16+ senescent cells (using the p16-3MR mouse model) and with the synthetic senolytic ABT-263, positioning fisetin as a promising, translatable, food-derived senolytic strategy for combating age-related muscle weakness and frailty.
