Effect of the co-culture of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells with human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) give origin to the marrow tromal environment that supports hematopoiesis. These cells present a wide range of differentiation potentials and a complex relationship with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and endothelial cells. In addition to bone marrow (BM), MSCs can be obtained from other sites in the adult or the fetus. Recent studies have shown that cocultured endothelial cells and osteoblasts are mutually promotive in bone tissues repair. In this study, we observed the effects of coculture of endothelial cells and osteoblasts at different ratios on vasculogenesis and bone formation, and we found that angiogenic effect is more effective when endothelial cells are cocultured with osteoblasts at the ratio of 4:1, and osteogenic effect is more effective at the ratio of 1:4. It is concluded that the co-culture of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells with human umbilical vein endothelial cells could be a promising culture system for bone tissue engineering applications.