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Haak, Andrew J

0000-0002-5323-253X

Mayo Clinic

Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55902, United States.

Citations 2

Optimized Synthetic Flavonols Support Senescence Clearance and Lung Fibrosis Resolution

ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science | September 4, 2025 | Volume: 8 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 3033-3046

10.1021/acsptsci.5c00231 | PMID 40969882

Pim-1 kinase is a positive feedback regulator of the senescent lung fibroblast inflammatory secretome

American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology | October 12, 2022 | Volume: 323 | Issue: 6 | Pages: L685-L697

10.1152/ajplung.00023.2022 | PMID 36223640

Cellular senescence is emerging as a driver of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal disease with limited effective therapies. The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), involving the release of inflammatory cytokines and profibrotic growth factors by senescent cells, is thought to be a product of multiple cell types in IPF, including lung fibroblasts. NF-κB is a master regulator of the SASP, and its activity depends on the phosphorylation of p65/RelA. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of Pim-1 kinase as a driver of NF-κB-induced production of inflammatory cytokines from low-passage IPF fibroblast cultures displaying markers of senescence. Our results demonstrate that Pim-1 kinase phosphorylates p65/RelA, activating NF-κB activity and enhancing IL-6 production, which in turn amplifies the expression of PIM1, generating a positive feedback loop. In addition, targeting Pim-1 kinase with a small molecule inhibitor dramatically inhibited the expression of a broad array of cytokines and chemokines in IPF-derived fibroblasts. Furthermore, we provide evidence that Pim-1 overexpression in low-passage human lung fibroblasts is sufficient to drive premature senescence, in vitro. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting Pim-1 kinase to reprogram the secretome of senescent fibroblasts and halt IPF progression.