Inhibition of autophagy alleviates the senescent state of rat mesenchymal stem cells during long-term culture.

Following a limited number of cell divisions, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) undergo senescence, and these senescent cells maintain metabolic modification and remain viable for long periods. Autophagy, an intracellular bulk degradation process, provides a survival effect for cells under stress. In this study, the effect of autophagy on senescent MSCs was analyzed.