Abstract:

BACKGROUND: There have been no effective means for clinical treatment of large regions of bone defects. Nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen (nHAC) composite would provide a new pathway for repair of bone defects owing to its similar structure to natural skeleton and better biocompatibility.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of nHAC composite co-cultured with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in repair of bone defects.
METHODS: Following isolation and culture, human BMSCs were co-cultured with nHAC composite. Gross observation, histological analysis, and electron microscope observation were performed to analyze osteogenesis for repair of bone defects in the clinic.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Human nHAC could greatly proliferate in vitro. X-ray photography revealed that bone defects well healed after implantation of nHAC/BMSCs composite. These findings indicate that BMSCs exhibit osteogenic potential and nHAC is a satisfactory scaffold material for construction of tissue-engineered bone.