What could be more scary than the idea of zombie cells? Cells that slowly convert you into the undead from the inside out by eating the nuclei of your healthy cells and converting them into mindless blobby killers? Well, possibly the fact that you have zombie cells inside you at this very moment! Fortunately, you don’t have to worry. Zombie cells aren’t really like the human zombies you hear about every October. They do exist though! Their more regular name is senescent cells.
So what are they then? Essentially zombie cells are cells that just can’t reproduce anymore and don’t ever seem to die. They appear to release harmful inflammatory compounds. Krystal Barbour from the University of Minnesota says these compounds “cause sterile inflammation which can alter metabolism and stem cell function.” Most research that has been done on senescent cells has been done by observing them in a glass dish. Dr. Nabora Reyes, however, was able to find a way to observe these zombies more easily. According to an article by Susan Mashiyama of the University of California, Reyes fused a gene that is “overly active in senescent cells with a fluorescent protein.” With this new way of observing zombie cells, scientists were able to determine that they actually begin appearing very shortly after birth.
Now, the most interesting thing about zombie cells is that, allegedly, by removing them from our bodies, we may age slower. It was discovered that zombie cells are linked to most age-related diseases. As we get older, our immune systems can’t find and kill off these cells as efficiently as before, which causes a steady build-up of these cells. Seeing many possible downfalls to senescent cells, people began working on a different type of drug, called senolytics, that works to kill zombie cell build-ups. By killing off the senescent cells in animals, scientists have found a noticeable increase in the lifespan of the patients. They also saw improvements in conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart failure. Senolytics are still being refined and are not on the market yet. They also have various downfalls and some people are still searching for other ways to target zombie cells.
But are they actually that bad? The main point in Susan Mashiyama’s article is that removing zombie cells may actually cause more harm than good. In her article, Mashiyama says, “Scientists also identified specific growth factors that senescent cells secrete to stimulate stem cells to help grow and repair tissues.” She also mentions that senescent cells appear to protect certain organs like the lungs, small intestine, and colon from various foreign chemicals. “Experiments confirmed that if senescent cells were killed with senolytics, lung stem cells were not able to properly repair the barrier surface,” Mashiyama reports, letting us know that while zombie cells do have their dangers, maybe killing them off entirely is not the right plan.
If there are no senolytics on the market, how can you get rid of them yourself? Zombie cells could protect various organs, but this is almost like discovering the fountain of youth! Imagine how much older you could live without having to worry about age-related diseases. Well, it may sound great, but plenty of people have lived a long time without having to worry about zombie cells killing them quickly. You may not want to hear it, but the simplest way to get rid of zombie cells is to just stay healthy. By exercising and eating your vegetables, you will keep your body healthy and keep it strong enough to kill off the zombies.
I hope you learned something, even if you read this article thinking it would be a lot more dramatic and would include actual zombies. Just keep in mind that I am not an expert of any kind. If any special zombie-killing medicines ever do appear on the market, make sure you know whether zombie cells are really that bad and look for the most recent information about them. They are still being researched, so who knows!? Maybe they are vital to your well-being. Still, making sure you know what you’re talking about before you do something is very important. The whole reason I looked into zombie cells is because someone I know said something silly about zombie cells. I’m not entirely certain what they said, but to me, it seems that this person heard someone say something or saw something online and took it as a fact. Always, always, always, double-check your resources and their viability. You really don’t want to tell someone about something like an evil albino deer and discover that your source is known for coming up with crazy, fake stories.
Thank you! Also, here are my resources if you want to look more into senescent cells:
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing and educating us, Fiona. - your aging Aunty Melinda