Does Needle Design Affect the Regenerative Potential of Bone Marrow Aspirate? An In Vitro Study

While autologous bone is still the gold standard for treatment of bone defects, its availability is limited. Sufficient numbers of mesenchymal stroma cells (MSC) may be an alternative. Small volumes of bone marrow aspirate (BMA) were harvested with two different needle systems comparing the yield and regenerative potency of the MSCs. BMA (10 mL) was aspirated from the posterior iliac crest of 12 patients with degenerative spinal disc disease using both needle systems in each patient: the Jamshidi needle (JAM) and on the contralateral side the Marrow Cellution^® Needle (AMC). Number of mononuclear cells (MNCs) and regeneration capacity (colony-forming unit/CFU) were determined. MSCs were characterized for surface markers and their differentiation into trilineages. There was no significant difference between the two harvesting needles regarding the quantity of MNCs in BMA: 5.2 ± 1.8 × 10⁹ MNC/mL for AMC vs. 4.8 ± 2.5 × 10⁹ MNC/mL for JAM, p = 0.182. The quantity of CFUs per ml BMA was similar for both groups: 3717 ± 5556 for AMC and 4305 ± 5507 for JAM (p = 0.695). The potency of MSCs expressed as colony-forming potential per 10⁶ MNC resulted in 0.98 ± 1.51 for AMC and 1.00 ± 0.96 for JAM (p = 0.666). Regardless of the needle design, 10 mL bone marrow aspirate contains a sufficient number of about 40,000 MSCs that can be used to enhance bone healing.