Lycorine hydrochloride suppresses stress‐induced premature cellular senescence by stabilizing the genome of human cells

Abstract Lycorine, a natural compound isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Lycoris radiata , exhibits multiple pharmacological effects, such as anti‐inflammatory, antiviral, and anticancer effects. Accumulating evidence also indicates that lycorine might hold the potential to treat age‐associated Alzheimer's disease. However, whether lycorine is involved in delaying the onset of cellular senescence and its underlying mechanisms has not been determined. Here, we demonstrate that the salt of lycorine, lycorine hydrochloride, significantly suppressed stress‐induced premature cellular senescence (SIPS) by ~2‐fold, as determined by senescence‐associated beta‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐gal) staining and the expression of p16 and p21. In addition, pretreating cells with lycorine hydrochloride significantly inhibited the expression of CXCL1 and IL1α, two factors of the senescence‐associated secreted phenotype (SASP) in SIPS cells. Further experiments revealed that lycorine hydrochloride promoted both the homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathways of DNA double‐strand break (DSB) repair. Mechanistic studies suggested that lycorine hydrochloride treatment promoted the transcription of SIRT1 and SIRT6, critical longevity genes positively regulating both HR and NHEJ repair pathways, thereby stimulating DSB repair and stabilizing genomes. Inhibiting SIRT1 enzymatic activity abrogated the protective effect of lycorine hydrochloride on delaying the onset of SIPS, repairing DSBs, and restoring genome integrity. In summary, our work indicates that lycorine hydrochloride might hold therapeutic potential for treating age‐associated diseases or promoting healthy aging by stabilizing genomes.