Rapamycin and senescence in human facial skin fibroblasts from women of three age groups
In this in vitro abstract, low-dose rapamycin reduced a senescence marker and raised autophagy-related markers in human facial skin fibroblasts from women aged 20–49; cells from women aged 40–49 responded most. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Primary human facial skin fibroblasts came from discarded tissue of healthy female donors aged 20–29, 30–39 and 40–49 years. [1]
Rapamycin at 0.1 nmol/L for 48 hours reduced SA-β-gal-positive cells in all age groups and raised Beclin-1 and LC3B. [1]
Fibroblasts from women aged 40–49 years showed the greatest increases in autophagy-related markers and the most pronounced improvement in senescence-associated phenotypes. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- In vitro laboratory study (abstract)
- Population / context
- Primary human facial skin fibroblasts from healthy female donors aged 20–49 years
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- September 10, 2026
Fibroblasts from three donor age groups
The study used primary human facial skin fibroblasts (HSFs) from discarded facial skin tissue of healthy female donors, divided into ages 20–29, 30–39 and 40–49 years. This was an in vitro model of physiological skin aging. The abstract states that basal expression of autophagy-related markers declined progressively with increasing donor age.
Supporting source [1]
Rapamycin 0.1 nmol/L for 48 hours
After optimization, growing HSFs were treated with 0.1 nmol/L rapamycin for 48 hours. Senescence was assessed by SA-β-gal staining and cell-cycle distribution by flow cytometry; mTOR, Beclin-1 and LC3B were measured at mRNA and protein levels. Rapamycin reduced the share of SA-β-gal-positive cells in all age groups, increased cells in G0/G1 and reduced those in S phase, suppressed mTOR expression and raised Beclin-1 and LC3B.
Supporting source [1]
Greatest response in the 40–49 group
The response varied by age group: fibroblasts from women aged 40–49 years showed the largest increases in autophagy-related markers and the most pronounced improvement in senescence-associated phenotypes. The authors conclude that low-dose rapamycin may alleviate age-related senescence in these cells by inhibiting mTOR signaling and enhancing autophagy-related activity, and describe the findings as an in vitro basis for future age-stratified, locally targeted interventions.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. This is an in vitro study of cultured fibroblasts, not evidence of effects on human skin aging or lifespan, and the abstract reports no sample sizes per group or statistical details.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Wei X, Cao F, Zhang L, Chen M, Zeng C, Yang S, guo L. · europepmc.org · September 10, 2026