Abstract

The repair of bone defects, arising from trauma, remains a major clinical problem. Bioactive glass (BG) is a good bone scaffold, which when seeded by rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs), plays a fundamental role in bone regeneration. rMSCs were isolated from the femur of rats. The nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared. In order to confirm the identity of the MSC, the proliferation medium was replaced by an osteogenic medium. The occurrence of differentiation was examined by RT-PCR analysis and alizarin red staining. Furthermore, two bilateral full-thickness defects were created in the calvarium of rats, which were then filled by scaffolds enhanced with rMSCs. To evaluate bone regeneration, histological and X-ray analyses were carried out. Following alizarin red staining, red mineralized areas appeared on the cultures. RT-PCR analysis showed the presence of osteocalcin and osteopontin receptor mRNAs in differentiated rMSCs. The present study demonstrated the ability of rMSCs to reconstruct calvarial defects in an allogenic transplantation model using BG scaffolds. © 2014, Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs. All rights reserved.