Autofluorescence as an index of ageing in human fibroblasts in culture

Abstract

An exponential increase in autofluorescence (AF) during serial passaging of human diploid fibroblasts, strain MRC-5, was observed using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. Skin fibroblasts from patients with premature-ageing syndromes had high levels of AF, whereas virus-transformed cell lines had negligible amounts of AF.