ABSTRACT
Quantitative biochemical studies were undertaken in order to examine the influence of the accumulation of lipofuscin in secondary lysosomes on cell metabolic activities of normal diploid human glia cells in a stationary cell culture system. Glia cells accumulate lipofuscin as a function of the duration of the stationary cultivation in vitro. The accumulation of lipofuscin can be decreased by the long-term treatment with the pharmacon meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine, Helfergin). Concomitant with the reduction of the accumulated lipofuscin, meclofenoxate-treated glia cells show enhanced rates of RNA synthesis, protein synthesis and glucose uptake. Most likely, in meclofenoxate-treated normal diploid human glia cells in vitro, the utilisation of glucose is shifted from glycolysis to the pentose phosphate pathway. The data suggest that the meclofenoxate-induced reduction of lipofuscin accumulation has a positive effect on cell metabolic functions and causes a delay of the cellular aging of the human glia cells in vitro.
