Effects of succinic acid on dermal fibroblasts during cultivation under extremely hypoxic conditions

Succinate is one of the most important raw materials in the energy-producing cycle, enabling a ‘shortcut’ route for ATP production via oxidative metabolism. Fumarate is produced from succinate by the oxygen-dependent succinate dehydrogenase. In this study we investigated the influence of different succinic acid concentrations on the process of cellular senescence under normal and hypoxic conditions. The most promising doses were chosen by using a cell viability test (0.2–1.5 mM). After the long-term cultivation it was shown that there was no significant difference in senescence β-galactosidase expression between samples with variable concentrations of succinate. Despite this fact, large differences in expression levels of senescence and pluripotency markers were found between the samples depending on the oxygen level and concentration of succinic acid.