Fisetin Alleviates d-Galactose-Induced Senescence in C2C12 Myoblasts: Metabolic and Gene Regulatory Mechanisms

Skeletal muscle aging poses a major threat to the health and quality of life of elderly individuals. Fisetin, a natural polyphenolic compound, exhibits various biological activities; however, its role in preventing skeletal muscle cell aging is still unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of fisetin on skeletal muscle aging using a d-galactose-induced C2C12 myoblast senescence model. Fisetin treatment effectively ameliorated d-galactose-induced aging damage and restored cellular functionality by improving cell viability, reducing the accumulation of the senescence marker enzyme SA-β-gal, and decreasing the expression of key aging marker proteins, p16 and p53. NMR-based metabolomics and RNA-seq transcriptomics analyses revealed that fisetin regulates several critical metabolic pathways, including glutathione metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, as well as taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. This regulation led to the restoration of amino acid metabolism, stabilization of cellular energy homeostasis, and the preservation of membrane integrity. In addition, fisetin inhibited calcium signaling and JAK-STAT pathways, reduced cellular stress responses and reversed senescence-induced cell cycle arrest. Together, these findings highlight the potential of fisetin as a therapeutic agent to combat skeletal muscle aging and restore cellular homeostasis, offering a promising avenue for the development of antiaging treatments for skeletal muscle degeneration.