The effects of dietary fatty acids on bone, hematopoietic marrow and marrow adipose tissue in a murine model of senile osteoporosis

Purpose: Marrow adipose tissue (MAT) expansion and associated lipotoxicity are important drivers of age-related bone loss and hematopoietic bone marrow (HBM) atrophy. Fish oil and borage oil (rich in ω3 fatty acids) can partially prevent aged-related bone loss in SAMP8 mice. However, whether preservation of bone mass in this progeria model is associated with MAT volumes remains unknown. Results: MAT volume fraction (MAT%) showed a negative association with hematopoietic bone marrow (HBM%;r=-0.836, p<0.001) and bone (bone%;r=-0.344, p=0.013) volume fractions. Adjusting for multiple comparisons, bone% was higher and MAT% was lower in Fish oil (FO)-supplemented groups vs. controls (p<0.001). HBM% did not differ significantly between the four groups. However, in the group supplemented with FO, HBM comprised higher fractions and MAT constituted lower fractions of total marrow vs. controls (p<0.001). Conclusion: Feeding FO-enriched diet prevented age-related bone and HBM loss, by reducing MAT expansion. Our results further emphasize on the role(s) of MAT expansion in bone and HBM atrophy. Methods: SAMP8 mice (n>9 /group) were allocated into 4 categories and fed a control ration, FO-, sunflower oil (SFO)- and borage oil-enriched diets for lifetime. Femurs were scanned using microcomputed tomography (μCT) and bone, MAT, and HBM volumes were determined using an image analysis software.