The experimental study of constructing tissue engineered bone by compounding zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bone with Marrow stromal cells

To study the osteogenic ability of tissue-engineered bone constructed by compounding zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bone with rabbit marrow stromal cells (MSCs) in vivo, the zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bone of beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) type was prepared by sintering the fresh calf cancellous bone twice and then loading it with zinc-ion. The rabbit MSCs were cultured, induced and seeded onto the zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bones. The tissue-engineered bones were then implanted into the rabbits' back muscles. The newly formed bone tissues were observed by histological methods and the areas of new osseous tissues were measured at the end of the 4th and 8th week. The zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bones alone were implanted on the other side as control. The osteogenic activity of MSCs was identified by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and calcification nod chinalizarin staining. At the end of 4th week, a small amount of new bone tissues was observed. At the end of 8th week, there were many newly formed bone mature tissues. Moreover, the area of the latter was significantly larger than that of the former (P<0.01), while in the control group there was no new bone formation. The tissue-engineered bone, which was constructed by combining zinc-sintered bovine cancellous bone with MSCs, has satisfactory osteogenic capabilities in vivo.