title: Peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells enhance vertical bone formation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study presents a novel cell-based approach for extra-cortical bone regeneration.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To enhance vertical bone formation by combining guided bone regeneration and transplantation of peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in a rat calvaria model.
  
  
  METHODS
  EPCs were isolated from peripheral blood of inbred rats. Gold domes (7 mm radius, 5 mm height) were filled with β-tricalcium phosphate (βTCP) mixed with 5 × 10(5) EPC. Domes filled with βTCP served as control (CNT). Rats were sacrificed after 3 months. Vertical bone augmentation was analyzed using histology, histomorphometry, and microcomputed tomography (μCT).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all rats, hard tissue filled the space under the dome. Histomorphometric analysis revealed that EPC transplantations doubled vertical bone height (EPC 4.04 ± 0.22 mm vs CNT 2.29 ± 0.22 mm, p ≤ .001). EPC also caused ∼50% increase in bone area fraction (EPC 47.3 ± 3.1% vs CNT 31.1 ± 2.7%, p ≤ .003). μCT results also showed that bone volume fraction (BV/TV) was higher in EPC group (p = .0169). In both groups, BV/TV declined from the bottom to the top of the samples. No differences in tissue mineral density were found between EPC and CNT groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EPC transplantation significantly improved bone formation especially in the areas that are remote from the original bone.
authors: Department of Periodontology, School of Graduate Dentistry, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel; Research Institute for Bone Repair, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel; The Rappaport Family Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Hadar
authors: H
authors: Zigdon-Giladi
authors: Tova
authors: T
authors: Bick
authors: Elise F
authors: EF
authors: Morgan
authors: Dina
authors: D
authors: Lewinson
authors: Eli E
authors: EE
authors: Machtei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000494:pharmacology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000494:pharmacology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D007797:Laminin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012886:Skull / Q000601:surgery*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005353:Fibronectins; D007797:Laminin; D011509:Proteoglycans; C485817:beta-tricalcium phosphate; C059485:matrigel; D003094:Collagen
keywords: bone regeneration; cell therapy; microcomputed tomography; peripheral blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells; tissue engineering