Cellular senescence is a tightly regulated pathophysiologic process and is caused by replicative exhaustion or external stressors. Since naturally derived bioactive compounds with anti-ageing properties have recently captured scientific interest, we analysed the anti-ageing and antioxidant efficacy of Cryptomphalus aspersa egg extract (CAEE). Its effects on stemness, wound-healing properties, antioxidant defense mechanisms, and DNA damage repair ability of Human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) were analysed. Our results revealed that CAEE fortifies WJ-MSCs stemness, which possibly ameliorates their wound-healing ability. Additionally, we show that CAEE possesses a strong antioxidant capacity as demonstrated by the elevation of the levels of the basic antioxidant molecule, GSH, and the induction of the NRF2, a major antioxidant regulator. In addition, CAEE alleviated cells’ oxidative stress and therefore prevented stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS). Furthermore, we demonstrated that the prevention of SIPS could be mediated via the extract’s ability to induce autophagy, as indicated by the elevation of the protein levels of all basic autophagic molecules and the increase in formation of autophagolysosomes in CAEE-treated WJ-MSCs. Moreover, CAEE-treated cells exhibited decreased Caveolin-1 levels. We propose that Cryptomphalus aspersa egg extract comprises bioactive compounds that can demonstrate strong antioxidant/anti-ageing effects by regulating the Caveolin-1–autophagy–senescence molecular axis.

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) is a reactive chlorine species generated by the enzyme myeloperoxidase present in phagocytes. HOCl plays a vital role in inflammation and has been linked to tissue regeneration through redox signalling, however, the relevant evidence is rather scarce. The present investigation aimed to study the effects of HOCl on the growth of C2C12 myoblasts and its association with alterations of cellular redox profile. C2C12 cells were incubated for 10 min, 1 h and 24 h with a wide range of HOCl concentrations (628 pM - 4 M). Cell survival was increased when cells were incubated with HOCl concentrations between 6.28 μM and 628 μM, which are encountered in biological systems. Intriguingly, after a 10 min-incubation with 3 mM of HOCl, the highest cell growth was observed through a redox-related mechanism, as indicated by the decrease of the levels of reactive oxygen species and the enhanced levels of reduced glutathione measured by flow cytometry. The in vitro model created herein simulates the in vivo inflammatory and regeneration response of muscle cells and can putatively give mechanistic answers about the contribution of HOCl to muscle regeneration.