The in vitro and in vivo effects of a low-molecular-weight fucoidan on the osteogenic capacity of human adipose-derived stromal cells.

Human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) may hold potential for bone tissue engineering. Osteogenic differentiation of these cells is crucial to bone formation. Low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMWF) is a sulfated polysaccharide that potentiates several growth factors, including pro-angiogenic growth factors. To investigate whether hASC preconditioning with LMWF promoted bone repair, we compared the effects of LMWF and low-molecular-weight heparin on hASC phenotype and osteogenic differentiation. LMWF did not modify the stem-cell phenotype of hASCs but enhanced their osteogenic differentiation (formation of calcium deposits, increased activity and expression of alkaline phosphatase, and increased expression of osteopontin and runt-related transcription factor 2). However, when hASCs were exposed to LMWF before their adhesion to biphasic calcium phosphate particles and implantation in a bone-growth mouse model, no bone formation was apparent after 5 or 8 weeks, probably due to cell death. In conclusion, LMWF may hold promise for enhancing the osteogenic differentiation of hASCs before their implantation. However, concomitant vascularization would be required to enhance bone formation.