Biomarker of Cellular Senescence

Lipofuscin Accumulation

Lipofuscin is a yellow-brown granules — the byproduct of metabolism — resulting from lysomal digestion. Lipofuscin tends to accumulate in cells with age, It is a marker of aging found in many different cells including ganglia, heart, muscle, kidney, adrenal, nerve cells as well as skin. Brown “liver spots” seen on the hands and faces of aged people are lipofuscin deposits.

While lipofuscin is not toxic, accumulations of it can impair normal cell functioning. These accumulations can be thought of as piles of uncollected garbage clogging up the insides of cells. Lipofuscin deposits, like AGEs, are not wanted. Lipofuscin accumulation is particularly a problem in post-mitotic (non-dividing) cells, such as most nerve. brain and muscle cells and cardiac myocytes. Hearts with heavy accumulations of lipofuscin may appear to be black when surgery is performed on them.

Lipofuscin accumulation is implicated as a major risk factor in a number of age-related disease processes including macular degeneration and vision loss, Alzheimer’s, Batten and Parkinson diseases, melanosis coli, denervation atrophy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to name a few.

Environmental stress can accelerate the accumulation of lipofuscin. For example, accumulation in brain cells appears to be an important issue connected with heavy consumption of alcohol.

Control of levels of lipofuscin is another important component of an anti-aging regime.