Hemopoiesis in demineralized bone allografts.

Demineralized allogeneic bone matrix (DBM), implanted in muscle, induces the formation of an ossicle within which histologically recognizable hemopoietic tissue develops. Analyses of rabbit ossicle marrow in a methylcellulose culture system demonstrated the presence of committed hemopoietic precursors; colony-forming units in culture (CFUC), erythroid colony-forming units (CFUE) and erythroid burst-forming units (BFUE) by six weeks post-implantation. The time courses of colony and burst formation by progenitor cells of ossicle and femoral marrow were similar. Induction of hemolytic anemia by phenylhydrazine hydrochloride at six weeks post-DBM implantation showed that the ossicle marrow was responsive to systemic erythropoietic stimuli. The DBM implant may provide a unique model for studying the development of hemopoietic microenvironments within bone.