Ptychographic analysis of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell morphology: The impact of cell senescence.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) undergo replicative senescence, a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest that limits their utility in regenerative medicine applications. To identify novel markers of senescence useful to enhance the quality of MSC-based therapies, we compared young and senescent human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) using a non-invasive, label-free approach based on quantitative phase imaging (QPI) with the Livecyte microscope. Senescent hMSCs demonstrated substantial morphological alterations, including a threefold increase in cell area, elevated dry mass, reduced thickness, and decreased sphericity compared to their younger counterparts. Additionally, motility metrics such as instantaneous velocity and displacement were significantly reduced in senescent cells, underscoring functional impairments that could hinder their therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. The application of QPI offers a promising tool for monitoring cellular health, identifying, and potentially eliminating, senescent cells to improve the quality and effectiveness of MSC-based therapies.