Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42072227›Full record

ReviewBioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Cellular Senescence of Lens Epithelial Cells and Age-Related Cataract: A Systematic Review.

Anastasia Kourtesa, Konstantinos Skarentzos, Georgios S Dimtsas, Periklis G Foukas, Marilita Moschos

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Anastasia Kourtesa2nd Department of Pathology, University General Hospital "Attikon", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0009-0003-3697-8713
Konstantinos Skarentzos2nd Department of Pathology, University General Hospital "Attikon", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-0994-4959
Georgios S Dimtsas1st Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Athens "G. Gennimatas", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-1583-0931
Periklis G Foukas2nd Department of Pathology, University General Hospital "Attikon", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-6053-7841
Marilita Moschos1st Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Athens "G. Gennimatas", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent evidence links lens epithelial cell (LEC) dysfunction and cellular senescence-an irreversible cell cycle arrest with a pro-inflammatory secretory phenotype-to age-related cataract (ARC) progression. This systematic review synthesizes current knowledge on LEC senescence, its molecular features, and laboratory methods for senescence assessment in the ARC. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases retrieved 3417 records from inception to 9 February 2025, with 14 studies ultimately included (821 patients and multiple in vitro LEC models). The following multiple senescence expression pathways were identified: SA-β-gal activity, p53/p21 and p16INK4A pathway activation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and secretion of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors. Notably, cortical cataract demonstrated direct association with local senescent cell accumulation, while nuclear cataract reflected cumulative oxidative damage from impaired LEC-mediated antioxidant defense. Senescence markers correlated positively with cataract severity across multiple studies. Several potential therapeutic targets emerged, including metformin (AMPK activation/autophagic restoration), circMRE11A silencing, NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition, and modulation of FYCO1/PAK1 and MMP2 pathways. This review establishes LEC senescence as a central process in ARC pathogenesis and highlights promising senotherapeutic approaches. Future research should prioritize human surgical samples, develop standardized senescence detection panels (SA-β-gal + p21/p16 + SASP factors), and conduct longitudinal studies to establish causal relationships between senescence accumulation and cataract progression.

Indexed as

cataractcelllensmolecular agingsenescence

Identifiers

PMID42072227
PMCPMC13113873

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.