Effect of platelet releasate on bone cell migration and recruitment in vitro

The use of platelets and platelet products has become increasingly popular clinically as a means of accelerating endosseous wound healing. It is likely that growth factors released by activated platelets at the site of injury play a role in bone regeneration by stimulating the migration and proliferation of bone cells. In this study, a novel in vitro assay was developed to study the effects of platelet releasate (PR) collected from activated platelet concentrate on rat bone marrow-derived cells. Cultures of primary rat bone marrow cells were overlaid with a fibrin matrix, and the number of cells migrating within the three-dimensional matrix and the leading front of migration were quantified. The addition of PR to the top of the fibrin gels at different time points caused a 25% increase in the leading front of migration and a 3.5-fold increase in the number of migrating cells. Platelet releasate was also shown to have a mitogenic effect on bone cells in proliferation studies. Comparison between migration and proliferation data indicated that PR stimulates the initial recruitment of bone marrow cells to migration. This assay further allowed the determination that rat bone marrow cells are capable of exerting contractile forces on fibrin matrices and that matrix contraction is directly related to the migratory activity of cells. The results provide a potential mechanism to explain why biologically active platelet-derived factors enhance endosseous wound healing.