Recently, tissue engineering has received considerable attention for regeneration. The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) can be used as a scaffold for cultured bone marrow cells.
Bone marrow cells were obtained from the shaft of the rat femur cultured in a standard medium for 10days, and trypsinized to combine the cells with ceramics. An additional subculture was done for cells/ceramics composite in a standard medium with the addition of β-glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid, and dexamethasone. After 20 days, the subcultured composites were implanted into the subcutaneous sites of syngenic rats. These implants were harvested 4 and 8 weeks after implantation, and prepared for biochemical and histological analyses.
Histological analysis showed active bone formation in the composites. Bone formation was confirmed by the presence of an active osteoblast lining on the bone surface. Substantial alkaline phosphatase activity in the composites was detected at both 4 and 8 weeks. Osteocalcin was also detected at 4 weeks, and increased significantly at 8 weeks. In contrast, there was no significant bone formation in the control groups.
These results suggest that β-TCP may act as a scaffold for cultured bone derived from marrow cells and there by promote the regeneration of bone tissue.
