Anatomic phenotyping of osseous progenitor cells. Implications in tissue engineering and bone remodeling

The bone remodeling process is achieved by the combined action of osteoblast and osteoclasts forming a team called bone multicellular units, and it is a systematic process that renews preexistent bone tissue. The authors proposed themselves to achieve a microanatomic study of remodeling process inside bone compacta and to describe the morphologic and functional features of the osseous progenitor cells. For the micro anatomic study we used pieces of bone harvested from cortical tibia diaphysis of adult individuals and fetus that were processed and analyzed by means of histochemical (van Gieson, Gomori, Mac Mannus) and histophysics methods (interferential and polarized light). Mesenchymal Stem cells harvested from bone marrow aspirate were used to obtain osteoblasts by differentiation in the osteogenic medium; furthermore, the authors characterized the derived osseous progenitor cells. The implications in bone remodeling as well as in designing new biomaterials useful in orthopedic surgery are discussed.