Herb-Derived Products: Natural Tools to Delay and Counteract Stem Cell Senescence

Abstract

Cellular senescence plays a very important role in organismal aging increasing with age and in age-related diseases (ARDs). This process involves physiological, structural, biochemical, and molecular changes of cells, leading to a characteristic trait referred to “senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP).” In particular, with aging, stem cells (SCs) in situ exhibit a diminished capacity of self-renewal and show a decline in their functionality. The identification of interventions able to prevent the accumulation of senescent SCs in the organism or to pretreat cultured multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) prior to employing them for cell therapy is a main purpose of medical research. Many approaches have been investigated and resulted effective to prevent or counteract SC senescence in humans, as well as other animal models. In this work, we have reviewed the chance of using a number of herb-derived products as novel tools in the treatment of cell senescence, highlighting the efficacy of these agents, often still far from being clearly understood.

Cytochalasin B Modulates Nanomechanical Patterning and Fate in Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

“…p21 and p16 INK4α , proteins activated by external stressors, such as chemicals and stress culture [84], inhibit the formation of the CDK-cyclin complexes, thereby arresting the cell cycle during the transition between G1 and S phases, and preventing cell proliferation. In particular, p16 INK4α prevents the CDK4-cyclin D1 complex's formation [85,86]. Moreover, when CB was removed from the culture medium, the expression of these genes tended to return to the level of the untreated cells.…”

Curcumin Alleviates the Senescence of Canine Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells during In Vitro Expansion by Activating the Autophagy Pathway

“…Organisms continuously repair injured tissues and retard senescence-related processes owing to the distinctively functional characteristics of the MSCs that extensively reside within various tissues and organs [ 15 ]. Unfortunately, age and disease are key factors for MSC senescence in vivo, and internal and external differences in cellular environments accelerate MSC senescence in in vitro culture, both of which negatively affect their capacity for immunosuppression, differentiation, and migration, ultimately reducing the efficacy of self-repair and transplantation in MSCs [ 7 , 14 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”

“…An increasing amount of evidence indicates that pharmacological stimulation is a promising approach for rescuing MSCs from senescence [ 53 , 54 ]. With this in mind, a number of natural and synthetic compounds have been investigated extensively in order to determine their anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and anti-senescence potential in vivo and in vitro [ 15 , 55 ]. As a naturally occurring phenolic compound, Cur has aroused great attention due to its beneficial effects on MSC biology [ 36 , 37 , 56 , 57 ].…”

“…Much work has attempted to establish effective strategies to retard senescence in MSCs. Recently, several herb-derived products have been suggested to promote organism health and longevity and may be promising tools for delaying MSC senescence [ 15 ].…”

A Tailored Lipid Supplement Restored Membrane Fatty Acid Composition and Ameliorates In Vitro Biological Features of Human Amniotic Epithelial Cells

“…Moreover, senescent cells are characterized by shortened telomeres, increased activity of SA-β-Gal, irreversible cell cycle arrest, and development of the complex Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) [ 51 ] (pp. 56–80), [ 53 , 54 ]. In addition, senescence induces alteration in the expression of genes involved in cell cycle control, such as two cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21 (p21 WAF1 ) and p16 (p16 INK4a ).…”