Crosslinked three-dimensional demineralized bone matrix for the adipose-derived stromal cell proliferation and differentiation.

Stem cell-based therapy has been a promising method for tissue regeneration and wound repair. Adult adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) are often used for adipose and bone tissue reconstruction because of their abundant sources and multipotential differentiation ability. When combined with carriers, ADSCs could be useful for constructing tissue substitutes in vitro or facilitating tissue regeneration in vivo. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) has been used for tissue reconstruction because collagen presents good cell compatibility. However, DBM degrades rapidly when used for three-dimensional ADSC culture. Here DBM was crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide to investigate whether crosslinked DBM (CRL-DBM) could be used as ADSC carrier. CRL-DBM showed not only improved mechanical property and enhanced stability, but also sustained ADSC proliferation and effective differentiation into adipocytes and bone lineage cells. The results indicated that CRL-DBM may be a suitable ADSC carrier for adipose and bone tissue regeneration.