title: Efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell enriched grafts in an ovine posterolateral lumbar spine model.
abstract: METHODS
  Four groups of 6 animals underwent single-level noninstrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) with one of the following grafts: 1) autograft, 2) cell-enriched beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), 3) TCP with whole bone marrow, and 4) TCP alone. Plain radiographs were taken after surgery and at death, 6 months after surgery. Explanted spine segments were analyzed by manual palpation, micro-CT, and histology.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  A sheep spine fusion study was undertaken to evaluate the healing performance of a TCP graft enriched with osteoprogenitor cells using Selective Cell Retention technology (SCR), compared with autograft, TCP with whole bone marrow, and TCP alone.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Improved bone healing with previously demonstrated using grafts enriched in osteoprogenitor cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cell-enriched grafts were obtained by processing 30 mL of bone marrow through 10 mL of TCP. TCP was also used either saturated with bone marrow or alone.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 6 months, 33% of the SCR-enriched TCP and 25% of the autograft sites were fused, compared with 8% of the TCP plus whole bone marrow and 0% of the TCP alone. Histology of fused samples showed denser bone formation in the SCR-enriched TCP grafts than in the autograft sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of SCR-enriched TCP and autograft resulted in similar fusion rates in an ovine posterolateral noninstrumented lumbar spine fusion model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Munish C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Thongchai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Theerajunyaporn
authors.forename: Sukanta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maitra
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Chantal E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Holy
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadiyala
authors.forename: Scott P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Bruder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D005260:Female; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D010012:Osteogenesis; D012756:Sheep; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; C485817:beta-tricalcium phosphate