The promotion of the vascularization of decalcified bone matrix in vivo by rabbit bone marrow mononuclear cell-derived endothelial cells

The neovascularization of bone grafting represents an important challenge in bone regeneration. Prevascularization of tissue-engineered bone using endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro sheds light on accelerating the vascularization of bone replacements. In the present study, decalcified bone matrix (DBM) was prevascularized by seeding fibrin gels with ECs that are derived from rabbit bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs). The compound was then transplanted autologously into bone defects of rabbits to observe the vascularization in vivo. At 2, 4 and 8 weeks after grafting, the microvessel density of new bone tissues was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05), which suggests that prevascularization of BMMNC-derived cells may be suitable for improving vascularization in tissue-engineered bone.