Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Amniotic Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Chitosan-Carbonate Apatite Scaffold (In Vivo Study)

BACKGROUND: Studies of bone tissue engineering as a viable alternative to autogenous bone graft show promising results, although its mechanism and effectiveness remain only partially understood. PURPOSE: To explain the osteogenic differentiation of scaffold chitosan (Ch)–carbonate apatite (CA) in seeding with human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) on the regeneration of calvarial bone defects in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Shitosan-Carbonate Apatite (Ch-CA) scaffold was created by means of a freeze-drying method. Twenty Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and treatment. Defects were created in the calvarial bone of each treatment group with a scaffold subsequently implanted. After 8 weeks, the rats were terminated for histology and immunohistochemistry examination. RESULTS: Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein2, Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), and angiogenesis occurred earlier in the tissue-engineered group than that in the control group. An 8-week analysis also showed that the expression of RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, and collagen type 1 was at more elevated levels in the treatment group than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: These results showed that the combination of hAMSCs and Ch-CA scaffold may become one of the candidates for bone tissue engineering.