Mesenchymal Stem Cells–Hydrogel Microspheres System for Bone Regeneration in Calvarial Defects
Chong Teng,
Zhicheng Tong,
Qiulin He,
Huangrong Zhu,
Lu Wang,
Xianzhu Zhang,
Wei Wei
Affiliations
Chong Teng
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 32200, China
Zhicheng Tong
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 32200, China
Qiulin He
Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Huangrong Zhu
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 32200, China
Lu Wang
Department of Pathology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 32200, China
Xianzhu Zhang
Dr. Li Dak Sum & Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, and Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
Wei Wei
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 32200, China
The repair of large bone defects in clinic is a challenge and urgently needs to be solved. Tissue engineering is a promising therapeutic strategy for bone defect repair. In this study, hydrogel microspheres (HMs) were fabricated to act as carriers for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to adhere and proliferate. The HMs were produced by a microfluidic system based on light-induced gelatin of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA). The HMs were demonstrated to be biocompatible and non-cytotoxic to stem cells. More importantly, the HMs promoted the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In vivo, the ability of bone regeneration was studied by way of implanting a BMSC/HM system in the cranial defect of rats for 8 weeks. The results confirmed that the BMSC/HM system can induce superior bone regeneration compared with both the HMs alone group and the untreated control group. This study provides a simple and effective research idea for bone defect repair, and the subsequent optimization study of HMs will provide a carrier material with application prospects for tissue engineering in the future.
