Signalling strategies for osteogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells for 3D bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs) have recently shown the capacity to differentiate into multiple cell lineages in all three embryonic germ layers. The osteogenic differentiation of hUCMSCs in monolayer culture has been reported, while the differentiation in three-dimensional biomaterials has not yet been reported for tissue-engineering applications. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using hUCMSCs for bone tissue engineering. hUCMSCs were cultured in poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds in osteogenic medium (OM) for 3 weeks, after which the scaffolds were exposed to several different media, including the OM, a mineralization medium (MM) and the MM with either 10 or 100 ng/ml insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. The osteogenic differentiation was confirmed by the up-regulation of Runx2 and OCN, calcium quantification and bone histology. Switching from the OM to the MM promoted collagen synthesis and calcium content per cell, while continuing in the OM retained more cells in the constructs and promoted higher osteogenic gene expression. The addition of IGF-1 into the MM had no effect on cell proliferation, differentiation and matrix synthesis. In conclusion, hUCMSCs show significant potential for bone tissue engineering and culturing in the OM throughout the entire period is beneficial for osteogenic differentiation of these cells.

Gas-Foaming Calcium Phosphate Cement Scaffold Encapsulating Human Umbilical Cord Stem Cells

“…Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC) were derived for tissue engineering. [37][38][39][40][41][42] Umbilical cords are an inexpensive and inexhaustible stem cell source, without the invasive procedure of harvesting human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs). hUCMSCs appeared to be primitive mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), had high plasticity and developmental flexibility, 43 and caused no immunorejection in preliminary animal studies.…”

“…hUCMSCs appeared to be primitive mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), had high plasticity and developmental flexibility, 43 and caused no immunorejection in preliminary animal studies. 44 Only a few studies have used hUCMSCs for bone tissue engineering by examining the hUCMSCs on tissue culture polystyrene 39 and polymer scaffolds, 42,45 as well as in vivo.…”

Collagen-Calcium Phosphate Cement Scaffolds Seeded with Umbilical Cord Stem Cells for Bone Tissue Engineering

“…Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) are a relatively new stem cell source with multipotent characteristics, and can differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, chondrocytes, neurons, and endothelial cells. [14][15][16][17][18][19] hUCMSCs have several advantages: (a) Umbilical cords are a medical waste, can be collected at a low cost, and are inexhaustible; (b) they can be harvested without an invasive procedure required for hBMSCs, and without the ethical controversies of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs); (c) hUCMSCs are a primitive MSC population that express certain hESC markers and exhibit high plasticity and developmental flexibility 16 ; and (d) hUCMSCs appear to cause no immunorejection and are not tumorigenic in animal studies. 16,20 Recently, a few studies have investigated hUCMSCs for bone tissue engineering, in which hUCMSCs were cultured with polystyrene, 17 polymer scaffolds, 19 collagen scaffolds, 21 nanofibers, 22 and calcium phosphate (CaP) scaffolds.…”

179 Human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells-seeded bladder acellular matrix grafts for reconstruction of bladder defects in a canine model

“…Umbilical mesenchymal stem cells (UMSCs) can also be differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts and smooth muscle cells [16][17][18]. Umbilical cords can be collected at a low cost and provide an inexhaustible source of stem cells.…”