Cellular responses to deproteinized bovine bone mineral biofunctionalized with bone-conditioned medium

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate whether the osteoinductive properties of bone-conditioned medium (BCM) harvested from cortical bone chips within a clinically relevant short-term period can enhance the biologic characteristics of deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess the biofunctionalization of DBBM, the adhesive, proliferative, and differentiation properties of mesenchymal stromal ST2, pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1, and primary bone-derived cells grown on BCM-coated DBBM were examined by crystal violet staining of adherent cells, BrdU ELISA, and qRT-PCR, respectively. RESULTS: BCM extracted within 20 min or 24 h in either Ringer’s solution (BCM-RS) or RS mixed with autologous serum (BCM-RS + S) increased the adhesive properties of all three cell types seeded on DBBM. The 20-min BCM-RS preparation appeared more potent than the 24-h preparation. BCM-RS made within 20 min or 24 h had strong pro-proliferative effects on all cell types grown on DBBM. RS + S alone exhibited a considerable pro-proliferative effect, suggesting an impact of the serum on cellular growth. DBBM coated with BCM-RS or BCM-RS + S, made within 20 min or 24 h each, caused a significant induction of osteogenic differentiation marker expression with a higher potency of the BCM-RS + S. Finally, a strong additive effect of fresh bone chips combined with BCM-coated DBBM on the osteogenic differentiation of the three cell types was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, the data strongly support the biofunctionalization of DBBM with BCM extracted within a clinically relevant time window of 20 min. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Pre-activation of non-osteoinductive biomaterials with BCM, prepared from autologous bone chips during a guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedure, bears the potential of an optimal treatment modality for bone defects in daily practice. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00784-020-03528-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.