Chenghu Yin

1 Introduction Aging is a universal and multifaceted process that significantly affects human health, contributing to the onset and progression of various chronic diseases. Among these, periodontal diseases are notably prevalent among older adults, with more than 60% of individuals over 65 years suffering from varying degrees of gingival inflammation and tissue degradation (Eke et al. 2020).

Main text Fu L, Yin C, Zhao Q, Guo S, Shao W, Xia T, Sun Q, Chen L, Li J, Wang M, Xia H. 2025. CD81+ senescent-like fibroblasts exaggerate inflammation and activate neutrophils via C3/C3aR1 axis in periodontitis. eLife 13:RP96908. doi: 10.7554/eLife.96908. Published 13 August 2025 A concern was raised by a reader regarding potential batch effects in the fibroblast subclustering analysis.

eLife Assessment This valuable study identifies a population of CD81-positive fibroblasts showing senescence signatures that can activate neutrophils through the C3/C3aR1 axis, hence contributing to the inflammatory response in periodontitis. Solid evidence, combining in vitro and in vivo analyses and mouse and human data, supports these findings. The revised manuscript has addressed many concerns significantly.