Dynamic force sensing by bone delays aging and extends lifespan.

Deleting Piezo1 in osteocytes reduces bone mechano-sensing and accelerates whole-body aging in mice, while dynamic tibial axial loading at 20–24 months extends lifespan by 9.4% (79.5 days).

• Why it matters: Bone can sense mechanical force, but its contribution to whole-body aging and whether restoring mechano-sensing can improve aging outcomes were unclear.
• What they did: In mice, osteocyte Piezo1 deletion was used to reduce mechano-sensing, and dynamic tibial axial loading (DTAL) was applied at 20–24 months to assess healthspan, lifespan, and bone marrow immunosenescence.
• The result: DTAL reversed bone marrow immunosenescence and shifted factors toward anti-aging/protective and away from pro-aging/pro-inflammatory; PEDF was identified as a novel mechano-responsive anti-aging factor linked to healthy aging in humans.