Metabolomic analysis to elucidate the change of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in senescent osteoblasts

Senile osteoporosis is a major public health concern, and yet, effective treatment methods do not exist. Herein, we used metabolomics to analyze the change of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in senescent osteoblasts. We found that with an increase in the number of passages, the osteoblasts proliferative ability, alkaline phosphatase activity, and expression levels of bone metabolism genes decreased, the expression levels of aging-related genes increased, the damage caused by oxidative stress became more severe. Furthermore, levels of n-3 PUFA family members were downregulated in passage 10 than in passage 3 osteoblasts. These findings indicated that multiple passages led to more severe oxidative stress damage in senescent osteoblasts, which could be related to a decrease in n-3 PUFA levels. We believe that unsaturated fatty acid metabolism is a key factor involved in osteoblast senescence and that a proper dietary intake of n-3 PUFA may delay the occurrence senile osteoporosis.