Noninvasive Fingerprinting-Based Tracking of Replicative Cellular Senescence Using a Colorimetric Polyion Complex Array

A fingerprint-based sensing approach was used to characterize in vitro cellular senescence. Secretion profiles of cultured human fibroblasts in different senescent stages were transformed into colorimetric enzyme-activity fingerprints by applying cell culture media to a polyion complex array. Analysis of the obtained fingerprints using pattern recognition methods, such as linear discriminant analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, revealed that the polyion complex array allows the noninvasive tracking of the replicative senescence progress even in those stages where a conventional marker such as senescence-associated β-galactosidase is negative. This fingerprint-based approach should thus offer an effective way for the routine monitoring or screening of in vitro cell senescence studies.