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BIOalternatives : State-of-the-art laboratory
New aged dermal fibroblasts model
In order to better understand this process and to screen for age-fighting skincare products, BIOalternatives laboratory has developed an aged/senescent fibroblastic model from standard Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts.
After a finite number of divisions, normal skin cells enter a state of irreversibly arrested growth and altered metabolic functions. This process of replicative senescence is thought to be an underlying cause of intrinsic aging. In order to better understand this process and to screen for age-fighting skincare products, BIOalternatives laboratory has developed an aged/senescent fibroblastic model from standard Normal Human Dermal Fibroblasts. AgNHDF are characterized by, i.e.
- decreased proliferation rates & ECM synthesis
- decreased sensitivity to growth factors (less sensitive to TGF-beta)
- specific gene expression pattern
- beta-galactosidase positive,...
To confirm aged and senescent phenotypes, the expression level of key genes involved in aging processes has been studied using real time PCR. For example the expression of genes coding for extracellular matrix proteins (collagens, decorin) and growth factors (EFR1, EFGR) decreased whereas expression of genes coding for MMP1, desmoplakin, collagen VII and RHOE increased.
This powerful model substantiates potential protective effects of compounds against dermal fibroblasts senescence to support products likely to have a restorative effect
- Proliferative response to EGF (thymidine incorporation),
- Collagen synthesis stimulation by TGF-beta (proline incorporation),
- EGF receptor (EGFR) relative content on cell surface (flow cytometry),
- Extracellular matrix synthesis (collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, etc . . .)
- Gene profiling assays (RT-QPCR or microarrays)
- Cell morphology and extracellular matrix organization (InCell Analyser 1000)