Earlier methods employed porous silica as a nanocarrier, but these approaches can be toxic, and modifying drugs with galactose may alter their structure and effectiveness.

Researchers have introduced a novel mechanism for effectively delivering senolytic compounds to target cells, as detailed in the journal Small.

This innovative method involves encapsulating navitoclax in amphiphilic micelles, which function like soap bubbles, keeping the hydrophilic galactose on the outside and the hydrophobic drug on the inside.

Previous studies have utilized galactose as a carrier for senolytic drugs, taking advantage of the presence of SA-β-gal in senescent cells to minimize toxicity, with navitoclax being the primary drug of focus.

The researchers found that the branched variant of these micelles proved to be the most effective in laboratory tests, offering a protective mechanism for the drug.

In vitro tests conducted on senescent cells derived from lung cancer (A549) and melanoma (SK-MEL-103) showed that the micelle-encapsulated navitoclax was significantly more selective against senescent cells compared to the raw drug, especially in the A549 line.

Despite extensive research in the field, no senolytic has yet received clinical approval due to challenges related to both efficacy and targeting, as these compounds can also affect non-senescent cells.

However, this study is limited to cellular tests and does not include animal models, leaving the response of other cell types or living organisms to these micelles yet to be determined.

Overall, this research serves as proof of concept for targeted drug delivery to senescent cells, potentially paving the way for future clinical applications.