Stem cell-calcium phosphate constructs for bone engineering

While human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) have been investigated, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) are a relatively new cell source. Little has been reported on hUCMSC encapsulation in scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The objective of this study was to encapsulate hBMSCs and hUCMSCs in calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds for dental, craniofacial, and orthopedic applications. Stem-cell-encapsulating CPC construct with chitosan and fiber reinforcement reached the strength of cancellous bone, which was much stronger than previous injectable carriers for cell delivery. hUCMSCs and hBMSCs inside the constructs showed excellent viability and osteo-differentiation. The encapsulated hUCMSCs synthesized nearly three-fold more bone minerals than the hBMSCs in vitro. Hence, stem-cell-encapsulating CPC-chitosan-fiber construct may be promising for dental and orthopedic applications. This study indicated that the hUCMSCs were a potent alternative to the gold-standard hBMSCs, which may have a broad impact on regenerative medicine and dental tissue engineering.