Bone tissue engineering using human adipose-derived stem cells and honeycomb collagen scaffold.

Human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) have the capacity to regenerate and the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages of mesenchymal cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using honeycomb collagen scaffold to culture ASCs in bone tissue engineering. The osteogenic capacity of ASCs in vitro, was confirmed by histology and measuring the expression of cbfa-1. After that, ASCs were cultured for up to 14 days in the honeycomb scaffold to allow a high density, three-dimensional culture. Scanning electron microscopy data showed that the scaffold was filled with the grown ASCs, and calcification, stained black with von Kossa, was confirmed. Furthermore, The ASC-loaded honeycomb collagen scaffolds cultured for 14 days were subcutaneously transplanted into nude mice, and excised after 8 weeks. Bone formation in vivo was examined using HE stain, von Kossa stain, and osteocalcin immunostain. Those histological views showed significant positive stains in the samples of osteogenic medium in the three types of stain. These results suggest that this carrier is a suitable scaffold for ASCs and will be useful as a three-dimensional bone tissue engineering scaffold in vitro and in vivo. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2008.