Restoration of Critical-Sized Defects in the Rabbit Mandible Using Autologous Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Hybridized with Nano-β-tricalcium Phosphate/Collagen Scaffolds

Nano-β-tricalcium phosphate/collagen (n-β-TCP/Col) is considered with good osteoconductivity. However, the therapeutic effectiveness of n-β-TCP/Col scaffolds in combination with autologous bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) remains to be elucidated for the repair of critical-sized bone defects. In this study, we found that n-β-TCP/Col scaffolds exhibited high biocompatibilityin vitro. The introduction of BMSCs expandedin vitroto the scaffolds dramatically enhanced their efficiency to restore critical-sized bone defects, especially during the initial stage after implantation. Collectively, these results suggest that autologous BMSCs in n-β-TCP/Col scaffolds have the potential to be applied in bone tissue engineering.