Bone regeneration of canine artificial alveolar clefts using bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells and β-tricalcium phosphate: A preliminary study

Abstract

Objective

Cleft lip and palate is a congenital disease showing the highest incidence in the maxillofacial field. In this study, bone regeneration in the canine artificial alveolar clefts using bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was attempted.

Methods

Artificial clefts were prepared in 2-year-old dogs and the animals were divided into three groups. Canine MSCs cultured on β-TCP were grafted in the MSCs/β-TCP group. β-TCP without cells was grafted in the β-TCP group. Nothing was grafted in the control group.

Results

Serial X-ray photographs showed that absorption of β-TCP and substitution with bone progressed favorably and regenerated bone had smooth continuity with the surrounding bone in the MSCs/β-TCP group. In contrast, a bone defect remained at 13 weeks after the cleft formation in the other two groups. Bone mineral density of regenerated bone in the MSCs/β-TCP group was between the density of normal bone and that of β-TCP. Bone mineral content of the cleft region in the MSCs/β-TCP group was three times higher than that in the other two groups. Histologically, the artificial bone in the MSCs/β-TCP group showed replacement with bone. In the control group, most of the cleft region was filled with fibrous tissue.

Conclusions

Bone regeneration using MSCs and β-TCP presents the possibility of a less-invasive new approach to alveolar bone reconstruction.

Keywords:

• Cleft lip and palate
• Mesenchymal stromal cell
• β-TCP
• Bone regeneration

Acknowledgments

We gratefully thank Olympus Terumo Biomaterials Co., Ltd. and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for generously donating materials. We also wish to express our thanks to Dr. Sohachi Toriyabe, the Department of Plastic Surgery, Tohoku University Hospital for guidance in his specialty.