Minoxidil Regulates Aging-Like Phenotypes in Rat Cortical Astrocytes In Vitro

This study focused on the aging of astrocytes, a type of brain cell, and how it can be modulated. Researchers established an aged astrocyte culture model through long-term culturing and confirmed cellular senescence using SA-β-gal staining and other markers. They observed aged phenotypes such as decreased astrocytic functions and increased expression of inflammatory factors like PAI-1. RNA sequencing was used to identify potential drugs to counteract these aging effects. Minoxidil, commonly used for hypertension and hair loss, was found to normalize several aging markers in the cultured astrocytes, including reducing the number of SA-β-gal positive cells, nuclear size, PAI-1 activity, and mitochondrial superoxide production. The study concluded that long-term cultured astrocytes are a reliable model for studying astrocyte senescence and that minoxidil could be a potential drug for regulating brain aging.