Anti-aging effects of fetal dermal mesenchymal stem cells in a D-galactose-induced aging model of adult dermal fibroblasts

The main characteristic of skin aging is the change in the composition of the dermis, mainly resulting from fibroblast senescence. Mesenchymal stem cells derived from fetal dermis are defined as fetal dermal mesenchymal stem cells; they reportedly exert wound healing effects on the skin and regulate keloid fibroblast proliferation. D-Galactose is widely used in animal aging models. In this study, we confirmed that D-galactose inhibits adult dermal fibroblast proliferation, and the inhibitory effect gradually increased with increasing concentration. Finally, we chose a concentration of 40 g/L D-galactose to induce adult dermal fibroblast senescence. D-Galactose increased the intensity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining and the levels of reactive oxygen species in adult dermal fibroblasts. Furthermore, D-galactose increased the mRNA expression of p16, p21, and p53. The fetal dermal mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium improved the above-mentioned effects. Overall, fetal dermal mesenchymal stem cells exerted anti-aging effects against adult dermal fibroblasts induced by D-galactose via paracrine functions.