A comparative qualitative histological analysis of tissue-engineered bone using bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, alveolar bone cells, and periosteal cells

For tissue-engineered bone formation, autogenous osteogenic cells are of paramount importance for successful bone formation. In order to investigate the donor cell–related differences in tissue-engineered bone, cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, cultured alveolar bone cells, and cultured periosteal cells were examined for their in vivo potential to form bone. These cells were isolated from dogs, expanded in vitro, mixed with autologous fibrin glue and BMP-2, and then injected into the subcutaneous space on the dorsum of nude mice. Bone formation was evaluated at 12 weeks. Histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that the subcutaneous nodules formed in nude mice contained 26.9% newly formed bone when using the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, 41.1% newly formed bone when using the alveolar bone cells, and 58.2% newly formed bone when using the periosteal cells. The results suggest that periosteal cells are the best choice for enhancing bone formation in tissue engineering of bone regeneration.