ABSTRACT
Objective:To construct and evaluate a novel tissue-engineered bone composed of murine stromal cell-derived factor 1(mSDF-1), simvastatin (SIM) and collagen scaffold (Bio-Oss?), serving as a cell-homing approach for bone formation .Methods: In the study , 32 ICR mice were randomly divided into 4 groups,each group including 8 mice.The drug-loaded collagen scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously onto the cranium of each mouse according to the groups: ( 1 ) 1 ∶50 ( volume ratio ) dimethyl sulfoxide ( DMSO ) /phosphate-buffered saline ( PBS ) solution +collagen scaffold ( blank control group ); ( 2 ) 10 -3 mol/L SIM solution +collagen scaffold ( SIM group ); ( 3 ) 200 mg/L mSDF-1solution +collagen scaffold (mSDF-1 group); and (4) 10 -3mol/L SIM +200 mg/L mSDF-1 solution +collagen scaffold ( SIM +mSDF-1 group) .One week after implantation , the mice were trea-ted by injecting the same drug solution mentioned above around the scaffold once a day for two days .The specimens were harvested 6 weeks after implantation and the bone formation was evaluated by soft X-ray analysis , HE staining and immunohistochemical staining .Angiogenesis of each group was checked by calculation of vessels in each tissue section .Results:Six weeks after implantation , the collagen scaffolds were retrieved.The value of gray scale for the SIM +mSDF-1 group[(421 836.5 ±65 425.7) pixels] was significantly higher than that of the blank control group [(153 345.6 ±45 222.2)pixels, P<0.01], the SIM group [(158 119.2 ±100 284.2) pixels, P<0.01], and the mSDF-1 group[(255 529.5 ± 152 142.4) pixels, P <0.05 ]; HE staining analysis revealed that significant bone formation was achieved in the SIM +mSDF-1 group; The immunohistochemical staining showed the existence of os-teopontin and osteocalcin in the SIM +mSDF-1 group; There were more vessels in the SIM +mSDF-1 group[(46 ±8)vessels/mm2] than in the blank control group [(23 ±7) vessels/mm2, P<0.01], and the SIM group[(24 ±6) vessels/mm2 , P<0.01].Conclusion:The novel tissue-engineered bone com-posed of mSDF-1, SIM and collagen scaffolds has the potential to form bone subcutaneously in vivo.It re-presents a novel method of in vivo bone re-generation without seed cell delivery .