Repairing goat tibia segmental bone defect using scaffold cultured with mesenchymal stem cells

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Orthopedic Research

Background:

• Developing effective bone graft substitutes is crucial for treating large segmental bone defects.
• Nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen/poly (L-lactic acid)/chitin fibre (nHACP/CF) scaffolds have shown promise.
• Evaluating their biocompatibility and in vivo efficacy is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the in vitro cellular biocompatibility of nHACP/CF scaffolds.
• To evaluate the in vivo efficacy of nHACP/CF scaffolds in repairing goat tibial bone defects.
• To compare nHACP/CF scaffolds, with and without goat bone mesenchymal stem cells (GBMSCs), to autograft bone.

Main Methods:

• In vitro: Assessed goat bone mesenchymal stem cell (GBMSC) attachment, proliferation, and differentiation on nHACP/CF scaffolds.
• In vivo: Created 25-mm tibial defects in goats, implanting nHACP/CF with GBMSCs, autograft bone, or nHACP/CF alone (n=32).
• Evaluated bone repair using radiography, histology, and biomechanics at 8 weeks post-surgery.

Main Results:

• In vitro studies showed good GBMSC attachment and differentiation on nHACP/CF scaffolds, with significantly higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP)/DNA levels compared to controls.
• In vivo, nHACP/CF scaffolds alone showed some new bone formation but did not fully repair the defects.
• nHACP/CF scaffolds seeded with GBMSCs and autograft bone successfully repaired the segmental bone defects within 8 weeks.

Conclusions:

• nHACP/CF scaffolds demonstrate excellent in vitro biocompatibility for bone tissue engineering.
• The combination of nHACP/CF scaffolds with GBMSCs significantly enhances bone defect repair in vivo.
• nHACP/CF scaffolds represent a viable option for bone tissue engineering applications, particularly when combined with cellular components.