Fibroblast Cells Physiological Changes - Fibroblasts In Vivo, Fibroblasts In Culture, The Senescent Phenotype, Causes Of The Senescence Response

Fibroblasts have been used since the 1960s as a cell-culture model for the aging of organisms. Fibroblasts are cells that produce and maintain the connective elements, or stroma, of most tissues. The stroma provides structure and regulatory signals to the functional cells of tissues (the parenchyma). Fibroblast cultures have provided a wealth of information about basic cellular processes, such as cell-cycle control, and they have provided insights into neoplastic transformation and cellular stress responses, both of which are prominent in aged organisms. The apparent aging that cells undergo in culture is a complex process, some features of which are apparent in aging organisms. Nonetheless, it is not yet clear to what extent the aging of cells in culture reflects aging in multicellular organisms.