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Longevity, Healthy Aging & Mitochondria

Mitochondria reflect cellular health, and altered mitochondrial function is a hallmark of age-related skin changes. mtBiolabs leverages advanced assays to assess the anti-aging potential of active ingredients and finished products through mitochondrial evaluation.

Why Focus on Mitochondria in Skin Aging?

Skin aging involves multiple cellular processes, and mitochondria play a central role in maintaining cell vitality. Altered mitochondrial behavior contributes to hallmark aging mechanisms:

  • Oxidative stress: Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage cellular components.
  • Inflammation: Chronic inflammatory signaling accelerates tissue deterioration.
  • Glycation: Accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) disrupts protein function.
  • DNA damage: Mitochondrial dysfunction affects genomic stability and repair.

Assessing mitochondrial health allows for targeted evaluation of longevity and healthy aging strategies and claim validations.

Relevant assays

mtDNA Content

What it is: Image-based quantitative assay evaluating mitochondrial DNA.

What it measures:

  • Mitochondrial DNA content
  • Mitochondrial mass
  • Mitochondrial biogenesis
  • Nucleus integrity/morphology
  • Cell viability

Benefits:

  • Identify senescence markers
  • Demonstrate reversal of cellular aging
  • Support product efficacy claims

Bioenergetic Balance Screen (BBS / BBS+)

What it is: Multiplexed and integrated assay measuring mitochondrial energy production and central metabolism within the same cell.

What it measures :

  • Oxygen consumption
  • ATP production
  • Glycolysis
  • Cell viability
  • TCA cycle activity (BBS+)

Benefits:

  • Evaluate longevity formulations that target cell energy
  • Understand ingredient mechanism of action
  • Enable evidence-based claims for healthy aging efficacy

Redox Status

What it is: Profiling of oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses, reflecting mitochondrial ROS management.

Benefits:

What it measures (any or all):

  • Mitochondrial and cytoplasmic radical oxygen species (ROS) production
  • Antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, catalase)
  • Glutathione activity
  • Lipid peroxidation
  • Protein carbonylation

Benefits:

  • Quantify antioxidant effects
  • Detect oxidative damage prevention
  • Support claims on skin protection and rejuvenation

Specific Models

Human Primary Senescent Cell Model

What it is: Senescent human fibroblasts used to demonstrate efficacy and reversal of age-induced cellular damage.

Benefits:

  • Test active ingredients or finished products
  • Assess reversal of mitochondrial aging signatures
  • Support cosmetic longevity & healthy aging claims with cellular evidence

Banking of Human Fibroblasts

What it is: Age- and gender-diverse fibroblast collection with established mitochondrial behavior signatures.

Benefits:

  • Compare anti-aging effects across donor ages
  • Segregate age-induced phenotypes
  • Enable personalized evaluation of skin rejuvenation

Contact

All our assays are fully customizable to meet your cosmetic testing needs.

Contact us to discuss your study