The osteogenic potential of adipose-derived stem cells for the repair of rabbit calvarial defects.
BACKGROUND
Bone replacement is often necessary during reconstruction of craniofacial anomalies or trauma. Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) possess osteogenic potential and are a promising cell source for bone tissue engineering. The present study was designed to assess the osteogenic potential and utility of using ASCs to regenerate bone in a rabbit calvarial defect model.


METHODS
Rabbit ASCs were seeded on gelatin foam (GF) scaffolds and induced in osteogenic medium containing bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2. Thirty-four 8-mm calvarial defects were randomly treated with autograft, no treatment, GF scaffold, GF + ASCs, or GF + osteoinduced ASCs. After 6 weeks, calvaria were harvested and underwent histologic and radiologic analyses to compare healing between the treatment groups.


RESULTS
Defects treated with autograft underwent complete healing. Radiologically, there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in healing among empty defects, and those treated with GF alone or GF plus osteoinduced ASCs. Osteoinduced ASCs exhibited significantly (P < 0.05) greater healing than noninduced ASCs.


CONCLUSIONS
Preimplantation osteoinduction of ASCs enhances their osteogenic capacity. Lack of a significant osteogenic effect of ASCs on calvarial healing at 6 weeks may be secondary to use of noncritical-sized defects. Larger defects would likely demonstrate the osteogenic potential of ASCs more definitively.
Dudas
Jason R
JR
Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Marra
Kacey G
KG
Cooper
Gregory M
GM
Penascino
Virginia M
VM
Mooney
Mark P
MP
Jiang
Shao
S
Rubin
J Peter
JP
Losee
Joseph E
JE
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000818:Animals; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery* / Q000637:transplantation*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*