Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjectsSep 30, 2026

Reducing calcium buildup inside cells may ease cell aging and lung scarring

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Oct 1, 2026

Abstract

A significant increase in intracellular calcium levels was observed during cellular senescence.

Chelating intracellular calcium during senescence stimuli delayed calcium elevation and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation.
The reduction in calcium accumulation also decreased DNA damage and delayed fibroblast senescence.
In vivo administration of the calcium chelator BAPTA-AM alleviated pulmonary fibrosis phenotypes.
BAPTA treatment led to less body weight loss, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and decreased collagen deposition.
Transcriptomic analysis indicated that BAPTA significantly suppressed the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in fibrotic lung tissues.

Simplified

Activation of specific calcium regulators, along with their downstream intracellular calcium signaling pathways has been established as a hallmark feature of cellular senescence. Nevertheless, alternations in intracellular free calcium concentration and the functional consequences thereof during cellular senescence and age-related diseases remain incompletely understood, particularly in fibroblasts. In this study, we measured intracellular calcium levels during senescence and observed a significant increase. Subsequently, chelation of intracellular calcium accumulation induced by senescence stimuli effectively delayed not only calcium elevation, but also reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, DNA damage and fibroblast senescence. In vivo experiments demonstrated that intraperitoneal administration of the calcium chelator BAPTA-AM (BAPTA) markedly alleviated the pulmonary fibrosis phenotypes, as evidenced by attenuated loss of body weight, reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells, decreased collagen deposition and diminished expression of both fibrosis and senescence markers. Notably, transcriptomic analysis of fibrotic lung tissues revealed that BAPTA treatment significantly suppressed the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Collectively, our findings indicate that restriction of the intracellular calcium accumulation upon senescence triggers can mitigate fibroblast senescence and ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis, thereby highlighting the therapeutic potential of calcium chelators in age-associated pathologies.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Featured in

Longevity & AgingIssue #57

A drug combo cleared liver scarring in 47% of patients — placebo managed 7%

↗

Reducing calcium buildup inside cells may ease cell aging and lung scarring

Abstract

Full Text

Featured in

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the longevity & aging brief