Maxillary Sinus Floor Elevation Using a Tissue-Engineered Bone with Calcium-Magnesium Phosphate Cement and Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in Rabbits

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of maxillary sinus floor elevation with a tissue-engineered bone constructed with bone marrow stromal cells (bMSCs) and calcium-magnesium phosphate cement (CMPC) material. The calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and phosphorus (P) ions released from calcium phosphate cement (CPC), magnesium phosphate cement (MPC), and CMPC were detected by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), and the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bMSCs seeded on CPC, MPC, and CMPC or cultured in CPC, MPC, and CMPC extracts were measured by MTT analysis, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay, alizarin red mineralization assay, and real-time PCR analysis of the osteogenic genes ALP and osteocalcin (OCN). Finally, bMSCs were combined with CPC, MPC, and CMPC and used for maxillary sinus floor elevation in rabbits, while CPC, MPC, or CMPC without cells served as control groups. The new bone formation in each group was detected by histological finding and fluorochrome labeling at weeks 2 and 8 after surgical operation. It was observed that the Ca ion concentrations of the CMPC and CPC scaffolds was significantly higher than that of the MPC scaffold, while the Mg ions concentration of CMPC and MPC was significantly higher than that of CPC. The bMSCs seeded on CMPC and MPC or cultured in their extracts proliferated more quickly than the cells seeded on CPC or cultured in its extract, respectively. The osteogenic differentiation of bMSCs seeded on CMPC and CPC or cultured in the corresponding extracts was significantly enhanced compared to that of bMSCs seeded on MPC or cultured in its extract; however, there was no significant difference between CMPC and CPC. As for maxillary sinus floor elevation in vivo, CMPC could promote more new bone formation and mineralization compared to CPC and MPC, while the addition of bMSCs could further enhance its new bone formation ability significantly. Our data suggest that CMPC possesses moderate biodegradability and excellent osteoconductivity, which may be attributed to its Ca and Mg ion composition, and the tissue-engineered bone constructed of CMPC and bMSCs might be a potential alterative graft for maxillofacial bone regeneration.