Ectopic osteogenic ability of calcium phosphate scaffolds cultured with osteoblasts

Bone substitute materials can induce bone formation when combined with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The aim of the current study was to examine in vivo ectopic bone formation with MSC on tricalcium phosphate (TCP) ceramics. Osteoblasts isolated from bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) of New Zealand rabbits were cultured with TCP ceramics for 10 days, followed by implantation of the cultured TCP ceramics into the rabbit dorsum muscle. The cultured TCP and in vivo new bone formation with TCP biodegradation were evaluated histologically. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface of the cultured TCP ceramics was filled by osteoblasts with a cell-free zone in the central area. New bone was formed on the cultured TCP ceramics with signs of gradual degradation of TCP ceramics at 8 weeks of implantation, indicating that TCP could be a potential scaffold for seeding cells used for development of bioengineering tissues.