Echinacoside retards cellular senescence of human fibroblastic cells MRC-5

In this study, effects of echinacoside, one of the phenylethanoids isolated from the stems of Cistanches salsa, a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, on human embryo lung fibroblastic MRC-5 cells, was investigated. Activity of cell proliferation was evaluated with Alamar Blue, showing that treatment with echinacoside could retard the senescence. Flow cytometry results show that echinacoside could trigger cells in the G1 phase to enter the S phase and G2 phase, and could improve ROS degradation. The results from comet assay indicate that echinacoside could protect cells from DNA damage, partly elucidating the mechanism of its effects. All of the above results suggest that echinacoside has potential anti-senescence activity.