Although hydroxyapatite is commonly used as a scaffold for bone regeneration, sponges may be suitable because of the adaptability to the defect. To use as a scaffold, the fiber of sponge would be coated with any adhesive to storage stem cells in the sponges. Fiber in the structure of commercially available sponges was coated by immersion in dextran solution and air dried. After seeding of rat bone marrow cells (rBMCs), the sponges were implanted subcutis of rats for estimate osteogenesis in vivo. The level of osteocalcin was 25.28 ± 5.71 ng/scaffold and that of Ca was 129.20 ± 19.69 μg/scaffold. These values were significantly high- er than those in sponges without dextran coating (p < 0.01). It was thought that rBMCs could be stored on the shelf by dextran deposition in the fiber of the sponge. In vivo examination, dextran induced osteogenesis by rBMCs in many spaces in the inner structure of the sponge

The effect of laminin on hard tissue formation using rat bone marrow cells was assessed. Rat bone marrow cells were obtained from femora of 6-week-old male Fischer 344 rats. In this in vivo examination, porous cylindrical hydroxyapatite scaffolds with a hollow center were immersed in 100 µg/ml laminin solution and air-dried. Rat bone marrow cells in 200 µl culture medium at 1 × 10 6 cells/ml were seeded in the scaffolds. The scaffolds were implanted into the dorsal subcutis of 7-week-old male Fischer 344 rats for 6 weeks. The scaffolds were then removed and examined histologically. For in vitro examinations, 1 × 10 5 rat bone marrow cells in 2 ml culture medium were then cultured with the addition of dexamethasone and laminin. Rat bone marrow cells were also cultured in laminin-coated culture plates. In vitro examinations showed the effectiveness of laminin for hard tissue formation from the results of biochemical and immunochemical analysis. From the in vivo examination, laminin coating of the scaffolds induced hard tissue in the pores with the cells. It is concluded that laminin is useful for bone formation, as in an in vitro culture study using bone marrow cells, in hydroxyapatite scaffolds in vivo.

The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of L-lysine on nodule formation by rat bone marrow cells <i>in vitro</i>. In this study, L-lysine was added to medium for mesenchymal stem cell culture to promote proliferation and differentiation of the cells, and then nodule formation was estimated in an <i>in vitro</i> rat bone marrow cell culture. Bone marrow cells from the bone shafts of the femora of Fischer 344 rats were cultured in minimum essential medium with 20 μl of L-lysine solution at 10^﹣4, 10^﹣5, 10^﹣6, 10^﹣7 or 10^﹣8 M. Dexamethasone was also added to the medium at 10 nM for differentiation of stem cells from bone marrow into osteoblast progenitor cells. The subculture was performed for 2 weeks. The quantity of osteocalcin in rat bone marrow cell culture with dexamethasone was 392 ng/ml. In the medium with dexamethasone and 10^﹣8 M L-lysine, the quantity of osteocalcin was 437 ng/ml. Nodules only formed upon addition of 20 μl of L-lysine at 10^﹣8 M. It was indicated that 10^﹣8 M L-lysine should be the optimal concentration for calcification. For nodule formation by rat bone marrow cells <i>in vitro</i>, the optimum concentration of L-lysine in culture medium might be 20 μl of 10^﹣8 M. L-lysine could play an important role in matrix production for bone formation <i>in vitro</i>

A formalin-treated polyvinyl-alcohol (PVF) sponge is convenient as a scaffold because its configuration is easily modified. However, coating the sponge with an adhesive chemical agent is necessary to attach bone marrow cells (BMCs) to the sponge structure. Moreover, it was considered that a hybrid scaffold composed of a sponge and enveloped cylindrical porous hydroxyapatite (HA) would be convenient. In this study, the effect of leucine (Leu) coating on a PVF sponge was examined for osteogenesis on an HA/PVF hybrid scaffold by rat BMCs (rBMCs). In an in vivo assessment, the sponge immersed in Leu solution (10 mg/ml) was inserted into the hollow center of cylindrical HA. The sponge received 1.5 × 10 6 rBMCs obtained from male Fischer 344 rats. The hybrid scaffolds were then implanted subcutaneously of syngeneic rats for 6 weeks. In vitro assessment of Leu to hard tissue formation with coating on the well or addition in rBMC culture medium was also performed in a 6-well plate for 2 weeks. In vivo examinations showed the excellent effect of Leu coating on PVF sponge. Leu-coated PVF sponge in the scaffolds showed marked new bone formation in the pores by histological examination. Leu-coated PVF sponge showed a high quantity of osteocalcine (OC). HA might prevent the release of rBMCs from PVF as a barrier. In in vitro examinations, the quantity of OC in rBMC culture with and without the addition of Leu in culture medium showed no significant difference. However, addition of Leu showed significant ALP activity level in culture medium. Leu coating in culture plate wells showed no influence on the quantity of OC. It was concluded from the results that Leu might prevent the emigration of rBMCs to the outside of the scaffold and promote the differentiation of cells to osteoblasts in the scaffold.

Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds were processed in hyaluronic acid solution. Bone marrow cells obtained from the bone shaft of femurs of Fischer 344 rats at 1×106/ml concentration were seeded in pores of the scaffolds. The scaffolds were implanted in the dorsal subcutaneous tissue of rats for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks. Removed HA scaffolds at 2 and 4 week after dorsal subcutaneous implantation were histologically examined. At all experimental periods, osteocalcin in the scaffold was immunochemically measured for the quantitative analysis of osteogenesis by bone marrow cells in the porous HA scaffolds. Moreover, value of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in the scaffolds was measured. Osteocalcin measured in scaffolds without bone marrow cells was 1.3 ng in an average and the ALP activity was 62.2 μmol at 4 week. In hyaluronic acid processed scaffold with bone marrow cells, quantity of osteocalcin increased from 1.6 ng at 2 week to 2.2 ng at 4 week after implantation of the scaffold. Histologically, many pores containing bone in the scaffolds immersed in hyaluronic acid solution were detected. Significant difference of the quantity of osteocalcin was recognized between 2 and 4 week implantation. There was no significant difference in the quantity of osteocalcin between the scaffolds implanted for 4 and 8 weeks. Value of ALP activity of the scaffold implanted for 4 weeks showed significant difference comparing with that implanted for 6 and 8 weeks. From the results of this study, quantitative increase of the bone formation in the pores of HA scaffolds would be able to observe from 6 to 8 weeks after implantation on the scaffolds by immersion in hyaluronic acid solution