Use of Nano-Bioglass Scaffold Enhanced with Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Rat Calvarial Bone Tissue Regeneration

Applied Microbiology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.*Corresponding author: r.nourani@yahoo.comReceived 6 September 2013; Accepted 1 December 2013; Available online 1 March 2014The repair of bone defects, arising from trauma, remains a major clinical problem. Bioactive glass (BG) is a good bone scaffold,which when seeded by rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs), plays a fundamental role in bone regeneration. rMSCs wereisolated from the femur of rats. The nanocomposite scaffolds were prepared. In order to confirm the identity of the MSC, theproliferation medium was replaced by an osteogenic medium. The occurrence of differentiation was examined by RT – PCRanalysis and alizarin red staining. Furthermore, two bilateral full-thickness defects were created in the calvarium of rats, whichwere then filled by scaffolds enhanced with rMSCs. To evaluate bone regeneration, histological and X-ray analyses werecarried out. Following alizarin red staining, red mineralized areas appeared on the cultures. RT-PCR analysis showed the presen ceof osteocalcin and osteopontin receptor mRNAs in differentiated rMSCs. The present study demonstrated the ability of rMSCsto reconstruct calvarial defects in an allogenic transplantation model using BG scaffolds.