title: The osteogenic potential of adipose-derived stem cells for the repair of rabbit calvarial defects.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Dudas
authors.forename: Kacey G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Marra
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Virginia M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Penascino
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mooney
authors.forename: Shao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Losee
mesh_terms: 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*