PROJECT SUMMARY
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal disease with limited therapies. IPF patient lungs
display hallmarks of accelerated aging, including overabundance of senescent cells. In particular, senescent
lung fibroblasts (sLFs) are key drivers of lung fibrosis. However, the signaling mechanisms that promote sLF
accumulation and persistence in lung fibrosis remain poorly understood. This proposal seeks to fill these gaps
with mechanistic studies that will enhance our capabilities to clear sLFs in IPF. Flavonoids are naturally
occurring molecules which show potential to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Their rise to prominence
in recent years has been driven by the discovery that several of these compounds are can selectively induce
apoptosis in senescent cells. In order to develop a better tool to investigate sLFs we designed and synthesized
a novel, potent, senolytic flavonoid (F-4N). We present preliminary data shows that F-4N promotes
senescence clearance and resolution of lung fibrosis in bleomycin-injured, aged mice with chronic fibrosis. We
further observed F-4N selectively inhibits NF-¿B signaling in sLFs without affecting resident pulmonary
leukocytes. NF-¿B activation is a hallmark of senescent cells, however its role in their apoptosis-resistance has
not been explored, and senescence-unique mechanisms for targeting NF-¿B have not been identified. NF-¿B is
critical for host defense, and systemic inhibition has very limited application. Based on these observations we
propose to test the central hypothesis that sLF apoptosis resistance depends on NF-¿B activity and clearance
of sLFs with F-4N represents a viable strategy to treat IPF. This hypothesis will be tested with three specific
aims: First, we will establish the molecular mechanism of action essential to F-4N senolytic activity. We will
perform apoptosis quantification, ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq from cultured sLFs to identify changes in response
to gain and loss-of-function studies. We will use proteomic analyses to identify global phosphorylation changes
in sLFs under these conditions. Second, we will characterize the cellular specific impact of F-4N on NF-¿B
activity and apoptosis by quantifying the effect of F-4N across fibroblast, epithelial, endothelial, and leukocyte
populations after acute administration to mice with bleomycin induced lung fibrosis. We will culture in vivo-
derived low and high NF-¿B activity fibroblasts and epithelial cells in a 3D co-culture model to investigate
paracrine signaling and senescence propagation. Lastly, will determine the antifibrotic efficacy of F-4N in
chronic experimental fibrosis using one-time bleomycin lung injury in aged mice (18 months) and repeated
bleomycin injury in young mice (2 months). F-4N will be benchmarked against the antifibrotic efficacy of
pirfenidone and nintedanib, and previously established senolytic strategies. We will also measure the
clearance of senescence burden and collagen deposition in precision-cut lung slice (PCLS) ex vivo cultures
derived from IPF patient lungs. Together these proposed studies will enhance our understanding of the
molecular and cellular mechanisms essential to sLF accumulation and persistence.