Synergic effects of decellularized bone matrix, hydroxyapatite, and extracellular vesicles on repairing of the rabbit mandibular bone defect model
Abstract Background Extracellular vesicles (ECV) have beneficial effects on the treatment of some pathological cases such as bone defects. Besides, the bone extracellular matrix (ECM) has been used to restore bone damage. Since major bone defects showed low spontaneous repairing ability, the purpose of this study was to find the synergic effect of decellularized bone (DB) ECM and ECVs on the repair of rabbit z. Methods The quality of decellularized sheep bones was confirmed by H&E, Hoechst, and DNA quantification. Also, immunohistochemistry, histochemical staining, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were done to evaluate the retaining of ECM constitutions. Osteoblast-derived ECVs were evaluated by internalization test, Transmission electron microscopy, Dynamic light scattering, and flow cytometry for CD9, CD63, CD81 markers. The hydrogel containing DB and hydroxyapatite (HA) with or without ECVs was evaluated for osteoblast functions and bone repair both in vitro and in vivo. Results SEM, histochemistry, DNA quantification, and immunohistochemistry indicated that the ECM was preserved after decellularization, while the cell and nuclear debris were removed sufficiently. In vitro assessments revealed that mineralization and alkaline phosphatase activity did not improve after treatment of MG63 cells by ECVs, while in vivo assessments showed synergic effects of ECVs and DB+HA hydrogels compared to the control, DB+HA and ECV-treated groups. Morphometric estimations revealed that the number of the bone-specific cells and vessel and bone area increased in bone defect treated with DB+HA/ECVs. Conclusion The DB enriched with ECVs can be an ideal scaffold for bone tissue engineering and may provide a suitable niche for migration and differentiation of the bone cells.