Volume 31, Issue 7 e70503
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Open Access

Autophagy and Cellular Senescence in Alzheimer's Disease: Key Drivers of Neurodegeneration

Md Sadique Hussain

Md Sadique Hussain

Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India

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Neetu Agrawal

Neetu Agrawal

Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Baby Ilma

Baby Ilma

Sharda School of Pharmacy, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

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Rekha M M

Rekha M M

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Sciences, JAIN (Deemed to Be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

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Priya Priyadarshini Nayak

Priya Priyadarshini Nayak

Department of Medical Oncology, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to Be University), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

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Mandeep Kaur

Mandeep Kaur

Department of Allied Healthcare and Sciences, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

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Anil Khachi

Anil Khachi

Department of Applied Sciences, Chandigarh Engineering College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges-Jhanjeri, Mohali, Punjab, India

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Kavita Goyal

Kavita Goyal

Department of Biotechnology, Graphic Era (Deemed to Be University), Dehradun, India

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Arcot Rekha

Arcot Rekha

Dr.D.Y.Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune, India

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Saurabh Gupta

Saurabh Gupta

Department of Pharmacology, Chameli Devi Institute of Pharmacy, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India

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Gaurav Gupta

Corresponding Author

Gaurav Gupta

Centre for Research Impact & Outcome, Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, India

Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, UAE

Correspondence:

Gaurav Gupta ([email protected])

Kamal Dua ([email protected])

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Kamal Dua

Corresponding Author

Kamal Dua

Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Correspondence:

Gaurav Gupta ([email protected])

Kamal Dua ([email protected])

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First published: 23 July 2025

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

ABSTRACT

Background

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly, characterized by extracellular amyloid β‑ (Aβ) plaque deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Impaired autophagy, the cellular pathway for degrading damaged organelles and misfolded proteins, and cellular senescence, permanent cell cycle arrest with proinflammatory secretions, have emerged as key contributors to AD pathogenesis.

Methods

We performed a narrative review of recent mechanistic and preclinical studies investigating (1) autophagic flux and its role in Aβ and tau clearance; (2) the accumulation and secretory phenotype of senescent cells in the aging brain; (3) interactions between autophagy impairment and senescence; and (4) the efficacy of autophagy enhancers (e.g., rapamycin and metformin) and senolytic agents in rodent models of AD.

Results

Defective autophagosome–lysosome fusion in AD causes autophagic vacuole buildup with amyloid precursor protein and β‑secretase, boosting Aβ generation and hindering tau clearance, promoting neurofibrillary tangles. In AD models, senescent neurons and microglia release pro‑inflammatory cytokines (SASP), fueling neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction. Decline in autophagy induces senescence and blocks clearance in a vicious cycle. Rapamycin and metformin restore autophagic flux, reduce Aβ and tau pathologies, and improve memory. Senolytics clear senescent cells, reduce inflammation, and rescue cognition.

Conclusion

Dysregulated autophagy and cellular senescence interact to drive the progression of AD. Targeting these pathways with autophagy-boosting drugs and senolytic agents holds promise for disease-modifying therapies aimed at halting or reversing neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

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