TMT-Based Proteomics Explores the Influence of DHEA on the Osteogenic Differentiation of hBMSCs

The study investigated the effects of Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on the osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) from elderly individuals. It was found that an osteogenic induction medium (OIM) with DHEA significantly enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of hBMSCs compared to OIM alone. Using TMT labeling and LC-MS/MS technology, 604 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified, with 467 shared between two comparative groups. These DEPs were primarily enriched in metabolic pathways, with more significant changes observed in the OIM+DHEA group. Protein-protein interaction analysis highlighted ATP5B, MT-CYB, and MT-ATP6 as key proteins in energy metabolism, potentially crucial for osteogenic differentiation. These results provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of DHEA in promoting osteoblast differentiation and suggested its potential application in hBMSCs-based osteogenic therapies.