The plasma n-3 fatty acid level was 26.2% lower in patients with osteoporotic hip fracture than in those with osteoarthritis. In all patients, n-3 fatty acid was positively associated with bone mineral density and inversely associated with tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b level in bone marrow aspirates, reflecting the bone microenvironment.
Introduction: Despite the potential beneficial role of n-3 fatty acid (FA) on bone metabolism, the specific mechanisms underlying these effects in humans remain unclear. Here, we assessed whether the plasma n-3 level, as an objective indicator of its status, is associated with osteoporosis-related phenotypes and bone-related markers in human bone marrow (BM) samples.
Methods: This was a case-control and cross-sectional study conducted in a clinical unit. n-3 FA in the blood and bone biochemical markers in the BM aspirates were measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassay, respectively. BM fluids were collected from 72 patients who underwent hip surgery because of either osteoporotic hip fracture (HF; n = 28) or osteoarthritis (n = 44).
Results: After adjusting for confounders, patients with HF had 26.2% lower plasma n-3 levels than those with osteoarthritis (P = 0.006), and each standard deviation increment in plasma n-3 was associated with a multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 0.40 for osteoporotic HF (P = 0.010). In multivariate analyses including all patients, a higher plasma n-3 level was associated with higher bone mass at the lumbar spine (β = 0.615, P = 0.002) and total femur (β = 0.244, P = 0.045). Interestingly, the plasma n-3 level was inversely associated with the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b level (β = - 0.633, P = 0.023), but not with the bone-specific alkaline phosphatase level, in BM aspirates.
Conclusions: These findings provide clinical evidence that n-3 FA is a potential inhibitor of osteoclastogenesis that favors human bone health.
Keywords: Bone mass; Bone resorption; Osteoporotic fracture; n-3 fatty acid.