# Redox metabolism in cell senescence: focusing on contributions from the metabolomic field

**Authors:** Eliana Chacón, Guillermo Grünwaldt, Inés Marmisolle, Jennyfer Martínez, Celia Quijano

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2025.1754469 · 2026-01-09

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how changes in redox metabolism, especially glutathione metabolism, contribute to cell senescence and its associated effects.

## Contribution

The paper provides a focused review of metabolomic profiling in senescent human fibroblasts, highlighting redox metabolism changes.

## Key findings

- Redox alterations are essential for maintaining the senescent phenotype.
- Glutathione metabolism is reprogrammed during cell senescence.
- Metabolomic profiling reveals links between redox homeostasis and the senescent secretory phenotype.

## Abstract

Cell senescence is triggered by stressful stimuli, including telomere attrition, genotoxic agents, and strong mitogenic signals. This state is characterized by proliferation arrest and acquisition of a senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Senescent cells secrete growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, proteases, and other factors that can impact the cell’s microenvironment, promoting aging and the development of age-associated diseases. These discoveries have emphasized the need for a detailed analysis of the senescent phenotype. Redox alterations are one of the hallmarks of cellular senescence, and are required to maintain the senescent phenotype. Here, we review current information on senescent cell’s redox metabolism, with a special focus on metabolomic profiling of human fibroblasts. We describe metabolic pathways involved in redox homeostasis, in particular glutathione metabolism, that undergo reprogramming in cell senescence, and links with the senescent phenotype.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** NOX4 (NADPH oxidase 4) [NCBI Gene 50507] {aka KOX, KOX-1, RENOX}, CGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase) [NCBI Gene 115004] {aka C6orf150, D4, MB21D1, h-cGAS}, NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790] {aka CVID12, EBP-1, KBF1, NF-kB, NF-kB1, NF-kappa-B1}, LOC102724197 (inactive glutathione hydrolase 2) [NCBI Gene 102724197] {aka GGT2}, CSAD (cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase) [NCBI Gene 51380] {aka CSADC, CSD, PCAP}, CDKN2A (cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) [NCBI Gene 1029] {aka ARF, CAI2, CDK4I, CDKN2, CMM2, INK4}, AHCY (adenosylhomocysteinase) [NCBI Gene 191] {aka SAHH, adoHcyase}, CBS (cystathionine beta-synthase) [NCBI Gene 875] {aka HIP4}, GSR (glutathione-disulfide reductase) [NCBI Gene 2936] {aka CNSHA10, GR, GSRD, HEL-75, HEL-S-122m}, S100a9 (S100 calcium binding protein A9 (calgranulin B)) [NCBI Gene 20202] {aka 60B8Ag, BEE22, Cagb, GAGB, L1Ag, MRP14}, STING1 (stimulator of interferon response cGAMP interactor 1) [NCBI Gene 340061] {aka ERIS, MITA, MPYS, NET23, SAVI, STING}, PRDX1 (peroxiredoxin 1) [NCBI Gene 5052] {aka MSP23, NKEF-A, NKEFA, PAG, PAGA, PAGB}, TBK1 (TANK binding kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 29110] {aka AIARV, FTDALS4, IIAE8, NAK, T2K}, GCLC (glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit) [NCBI Gene 2729] {aka CNSHA7, GCL, GCS, GLCL, GLCLC}, Bmi1 (Bmi1 proto-oncogene, polycomb ring finger) [NCBI Gene 12151] {aka Bmi-1, Pcgf4}, CAT (catalase) [NCBI Gene 847], SOD1 (superoxide dismutase 1) [NCBI Gene 6647] {aka ALS, ALS1, HEL-S-44, IPOA, SOD, STAHP}, TP53 (tumor protein p53) [NCBI Gene 7157] {aka BCC7, BMFS5, LFS1, P53, TRP53}, Cdkn2a (cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) [NCBI Gene 12578] {aka ARF-INK4a, Arf, INK4a-ARF, Ink4a/Arf, MTS1, Pctr1}, IRF3 (interferon regulatory factor 3) [NCBI Gene 3661] {aka IIAE7}, SRPRA (SRP receptor subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 6734] {aka DP, SRPR, Sralpha}, CTH (cystathionine gamma-lyase) [NCBI Gene 1491] {aka CGL, CSE}, GSS (glutathione synthetase) [NCBI Gene 2937] {aka CNSHA6, GSHS, HEL-S-64p, HEL-S-88n}, GPX4 (glutathione peroxidase 4) [NCBI Gene 2879] {aka GPx-4, GSHPx-4, MCSP, PHGPx, SMDS, snGPx}, FEN1 (flap structure-specific endonuclease 1) [NCBI Gene 2237] {aka FEN-1, MF1, RAD2}, CDKN1A (cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A) [NCBI Gene 1026] {aka CAP20, CDKN1, CIP1, MDA-6, P21, SDI1}, CDON (cell adhesion associated, oncogene regulated) [NCBI Gene 50937] {aka CDO, CDON1, HPE11, Ihog, ORCAM}, RB1 (RB transcriptional corepressor 1) [NCBI Gene 5925] {aka OSRC, PPP1R130, RB, p105-Rb, p110-RB1, pRb}, GSTP1 (glutathione S-transferase pi 1) [NCBI Gene 2950] {aka DFN7, FAEES3, GST3, GSTP, GSTP1-1, HEL-S-22}, OPLAH (5-oxoprolinase, ATP-hydrolysing) [NCBI Gene 26873] {aka 5-Opase, OPLA, OPLAHD}, MAT1A (methionine adenosyltransferase 1A) [NCBI Gene 4143] {aka MAT, MATA1, SAMS, SAMS1}, GGTLC5P (gamma-glutamyltransferase light chain 5 pseudogene) [NCBI Gene 653590] {aka GGT}, GPX1 (glutathione peroxidase 1) [NCBI Gene 2876] {aka GPXD, GSHPX1}, GGCT (gamma-glutamylcyclotransferase) [NCBI Gene 79017] {aka C7orf24, CRF21, GCTG, GGC}, Cdkn2d (cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2D) [NCBI Gene 12581] {aka INK4d, p19, p19INK4d}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}
- **Diseases:** OIS (MESH:D000074723), breast cancer (MESH:D001943), pulmonary dysfunction (MESH:D011660), chronic inflammation (MESH:D007249), thymic (MESH:D013953), necrosis (MESH:D009336), pulmonary fibrosis (MESH:D011658), tissue dysfunction (MESH:D059226), tumor (MESH:D009369)
- **Chemicals:** ATP (MESH:D000255), tyrosine (MESH:D014443), ROS (MESH:D017382), Homocysteine (MESH:D006710), disulfides (MESH:D004220), 5-oxoproline (MESH:D011761), oxygen (MESH:D010100), lysine (MESH:D008239), .OH (MESH:C031356), taurine (MESH:D013654), serine (MESH:D012694), N-acetylcysteine (MESH:D000111), Cystathionine (MESH:D003540), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (MESH:D000080242), sulfonic acid (MESH:D013451), alpha-ketobutyrate (MESH:C016635), lipid peroxides (MESH:D008054), flavin (MESH:C024132), HOCl (MESH:D006997), NADPH (MESH:D009249), gamma-glutamyl-tyrosine (MESH:C054674), hydroxyl radical (MESH:D017665), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (MESH:C027576), water (MESH:D014867), H2O2 (MESH:D006861), histidine (MESH:D006639), gamma-glutamyl-phenylalanine (MESH:C020621), gamma-glutamyl-cysteine (MESH:C017341), Hypotaurine (MESH:C003949), cysteine-glutathione disulfide (MESH:C031586), amino acid (MESH:D000596), S-adenosylhomocysteine (MESH:D012435), tryptophan (MESH:D014364), Cysteinyl-glycine (MESH:C028505), adenosine (MESH:D000241), methionine sulfoxide (MESH:C013111), dipeptides (MESH:D004151), glutamate (MESH:D018698), S-adenosylmethionine (MESH:D012436), GSSG (MESH:D019803), superoxide anion (MESH:D013481), GSH (MESH:D005978), lipid (MESH:D008055), Glycine (MESH:D005998), cysteine sulfinic acid (MESH:C013461), RNS (MESH:D026361), iron (MESH:D007501), Peroxynitrite (MESH:D030421), thiol (MESH:D013438), Cysteine (MESH:D003545), glutamine (MESH:D005973), methionine (MESH:D008715), GS-HNE (-), nitric oxide (MESH:D009569), 2-oxobutyrate (MESH:C005087)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Enterovirus C (no rank) [taxon 138950]
- **Cell lines:** IMR-90 — Homo sapiens (Human), Finite cell line (CVCL_0347), WI-38 — Homo sapiens (Human), Finite cell line (CVCL_0579), NHOF-1 — Mus musculus (Mouse), Hybridoma (CVCL_C7RB)

## Figures

1 figure with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12853661/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12853661