Kinetin delays the onset of ageing characteristics in human fibroblasts

Kinetin (Kn) is a synthetic cytokinin plant growth hormone having some senescence-retarding effects in plants. Its effects on animal cells have been, until now, best considered as growth inhibitory and anti-tumorigenic. However, we have observed that an addition of 40-200 microM Kn in the culture medium of human diploid fibroblasts can both delay the onset and decrease the extent of many of the ageing characteristics that appear during serial passaging of normal cells in culture. Age-related changes that are affected by Kn include morphological alterations, growth rates, cell size, cytoskeletal organisation, macromolecular synthesis and the intensity of autofluorescence due to the oxidative damage product lipofuscin. These anti-ageing effects of Kn are achieved without any increase in the cell culture lifespan in terms of maximum proliferative capacity in vitro.