Bone engineering with adipose tissue derived stromal cells.

INTRODUCTION: Tissue engineering offers the means for replacing or repairing diseased or damaged organs within the patient's body. This current study deals with the general differentiation potential of human adipose tissue derived stromal cells (ATSCs) into mesenchymal tissues and particularly into bone.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: ATSCs were isolated and cultivated until the 3rd passage. Three different ways of mesenchymal differentiation (adipogenic, osteogenic, myogenic) were induced and analysed histologically (v. Kossa, Sudan III) and immunhistologically (alpha-actin, osteocalcin). Nine different cell cultures were analysed in terms of calcium deposition (donor's age dependend) in the cell matrix and release of alkaline phosphatase (AP) during the differentiation period. Three-dimensional osteogenic constructs, based on collagenous micro-particles were performed and analysed histologically.

RESULTS: Effective differentiation of ATSCs into osteogenic, adipogenic and myogenic cells could be demonstrated in histological and immunohistological analyses. There was an increase of calcium deposition in the cell matrix of osteogenically differentiated ATSCs that did not show any correlation with the age of the donor. Two out of three three-dimensional constructs showed clear zones of mineralization (v. Kossa) in the area of osteocalcin-producing cells.

CONCLUSION: Adipose tissue derived stromal cells are a promising source for tissue engineering with a clear potential to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic and myogenic cells. The osteogenic differentiation potential did not show any correlation to the age of the donors (calcium deposition, AP-activity). Three-dimensional osteogenic constructs could be established.