Autophagy regulates age-related delayed jawbone regeneration and decreased osteoblast osteogenesis by degrading FABP3

The regenerative ability of limb bones after injury decreases during aging, but whether a similar phenomenon occurs in jawbones and whether autophagy plays a role in this process remain unclear. Through retrospective analysis of clinical data and studies on a mouse model of jawbone defects, we confirmed the presence of delayed or impaired bone regeneration in the jawbones of old individuals and mice. Subsequently, osteoblasts (OBs) derived from mouse jawbones were isolated, showing reduced osteogenesis in senescent osteoblasts (S-OBs). We observed a reduction in autophagy within both aged jawbones and S-OBs. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of autophagy in normal OBs (N-OBs) led to cell aging and decreased osteogenesis, while autophagic activation reversed the aging phenotype of S-OBs. The activator rapamycin (RAPA) increased the autophagy level and bone regeneration in aged jawbones. Finally, we found that fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) was degraded by autolysosomes through its interaction with sequestosome 1 (P62/SQSTM1). Autophagy inhibition within senescent jawbones and S-OBs led to the excessive accumulation of FABP3, and FABP3 knockdown partially rescued the decreased osteogenesis in S-OBs and alleviated age-related compromised jawbone regeneration. In summary, we confirmed that autophagy inhibition plays an important role in delaying bone regeneration in aging jawbones. Autophagic activation or FABP3 knockdown can partially rescue the osteogenesis of S-OBs and the regeneration of aging jawbones, providing insight into jawbone aging.