title: Models of ex vivo explant cultures: applications in bone research.
abstract: Ex vivo explant culture models are powerful tools in bone research. They allow investigation of bone and cartilage responses to specific stimuli in a controlled manner that closely mimics the in vivo processes. Because of limitations in obtaining healthy human bone samples the explant growth of animal tissue serves as a platform to study the complex physico-chemical properties of the bone. Moreover, these models enable preserving important cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in order to better understand the behaviour of cells in their natural three-dimensional environment. Thus, the use of bone ex vivo explant cultures can frequently be of more physiological relevance than the use of two-dimensional primary cells grown in vitro. Here, we describe isolation and ex vivo growth of different animal bone explant models including metatarsals, femoral heads, calvaria, mandibular slices and trabecular cores. We also describe how these explants are utilised to study bone development, cartilage and bone metabolism, cancer-induced bone diseases, stem cell-driven bone repair and mechanoadaptation. These techniques can be directly used to understand mechanisms linked with bone physiology or bone-associated diseases.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Bone Biology, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Mellanby Centre for Bone Research, Medical School, The University of Sheffield , Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.affiliation: Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS, The University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Katherine Ann
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Staines
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University , New York, USA.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Oral and Biomedical Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University , Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Rachel Anne
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Howard-Jones
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Bone Biology, Department of Oncology and Metabolism, Mellanby Centre for Bone Research, Medical School, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; Oral and Biomedical Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adamczyk