Mussel oligopeptides protect human fibroblasts from hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced premature senescence

Mussel bioactive peptides have been viewed as mediators to maximize the high quality of life. In this study, the anti-aging activities of mussel oligopeptides were evaluated using H2O2-induced prematurely senescent MRC-5 fibroblasts. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry displayed that exposure to H2O2 led to the loss of cell viability and cell cycle arrest. In addition, H2O2 caused the elevation of senescence-associated-β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) activity and formation of senescence-associated heterochromatin foci (SAHF). It was found that pretreatment with mussel oligopeptides could significantly attenuate these properties associated with cellular senescence. Mussel oligopeptides also led to the increase of glutathione (GSH) level and mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Δψm) recovery. In addition, mussel oligopeptides resulted in an improvement in transcriptional activity of peroxiredoxin 1 (Prx1), nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). This study revealed that mussel oligopeptides could protect against cellular senescence induced by H2O2, and the effects were closely associated with redox cycle modulating and potentiating the SIRT1 pathway. These findings provide new insights into the beneficial role of mussel bioactive peptides on retarding senescence process.