The osteogenetic efficacy of goat bone marrow-enriched self-assembly peptide/demineralized bone matrix in vitro and in vivo.

In clinical practice, the prolonged duration, high cost, critical technique requirements, and ethical issues make the classical construction method of tissue-engineered bones difficult to apply widely. The major essentials in tissue engineering strategies include seed cells, growth factors, and scaffolds. This study aimed to incorporate these factors in a rapid and cost-effective manner. A self-assembly peptide/demineralized bone matrix (SAP/DBM) composite was artificially established and used for bone marrow enrichment via a selective cell retention approach. Then, goat mesenchymal stem cells (gMSCs) were seeded onto the SAP/DBM or DBM. The proliferation status of gMSCs in different scaffolds was analyzed, and the osteogenetic efficacy was evaluated after osteogenic induction. Bilateral critical-sized femoral defects (20-mm in length) were created in goats, and then the defects were implanted with the postenriched composite or DBM. Then, bone scan imaging, micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis and histological examination were performed to assess the reparative effects of the different implants. Compared with the DBM scaffolds, the growth of gMSCs in the postenriched SAP/DBM composite was faster and the expression levels of the osteo-specific genes (i.e., alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and runt-related transcription factor 2) were significantly higher after 14 days of osteogenic induction. More importantly, the postenriched SAP/DBM composite significantly enhanced bone metabolic activity in the defect area compared with DBM at 2 and 4 weeks postoperation. Moreover, bone reconstruction was complete in marrow-enriched SAP/DBM composite, but not in the DBM. In addition, all of the osteo-related parameters, including the ratio of bone volume to total bone volume, bone mineral density, new trabecular number, and new trabecular thickness, were significantly higher in the marrow-enriched SAP/DBM than those in the DBM. These results indicated that the SAP/DBM composite held great potential for clinical applications; immediate implantation after marrow enrichment could be a new and effective strategy for treating bone defect.