Cells that won't leave

Some cells stop working and still do not disappear. They stay where they are, and they do not stay quiet.

Neither working nor leaving

Normally a cell has two options: keep going, or break itself down in an orderly way. There is a third group that does neither. These cells no longer divide, but they do not break down either. They remain in the tissue.

There they release a mix of messenger substances that promote inflammation. Over the years, the number of such cells grows.

It has been shown that they cause harm

When they are transferred into young mice, measurable decline follows. The other way round, removing them in a targeted way improved several health values in animal studies. Taken together, this suggests that they do not just come along for the ride, but are involved.

The attempt to remove them

In 2015, the first group of substances that clear out such cells in a targeted way was described. One special feature showed up: different substances hit different cell types. Quercetin, a plant substance, acts on cells of the inner lining of blood vessels. The drug dasatinib acts on others. Other substances being studied are fisetin and navitoclax.

Why not every day

Something unusual follows from the way these cells behave. Because they do not multiply, you do not have to target them all the time. In the model, a short, repeated dose is enough. This principle is described in the scientific literature.

How far research in humans has come

Being clear matters here, because the data are early and small. In 2019, fourteen patients with a lung disease were treated. In the same year, nine patients with a kidney disease were treated over three days. In the latter, a drop in such cells in fat tissue could be measured. Neither study had a comparison group.

Both studies also used the combination of quercetin and the prescription drug dasatinib. For quercetin alone, there are so far no data in humans on clinical outcomes.

A practical problem

Quercetin dissolves poorly in water and is therefore poorly absorbed. For a preparation in which it is bound to fat building blocks, much higher blood levels were described in 2019.