Adipose tissue-derived progenitors for engineering osteogenic and vasculogenic grafts

• Published in: Journal of cellular physiology Vol. 225; no. 2; pp. 348 - 353
• Main Authors: Scherberich, Arnaud, Müller, Andreas M., Schäfer, Dirk J., Banfi, Andrea, Martin, Ivan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.11.2010; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - cytology; Angiogenesis; Animals; Autografts; Bioreactors; Blood vessels; Blood Vessels - growth & development; Body fat; Bone biomaterials; Bone grafts; Bone growth; Bone surgery; Bone Transplantation; Cell culture; Cell Culture Techniques; Cell survival; Endothelial cells; Gene transfer; Grafting; Grafts; Growth factors; Implantation; In vivo methods and tests; Morbidity; Orthopaedic implants; Orthopedics; Osteogenesis; Osteoprogenitor cells; Plastic surgery; Porous materials; Progenitor cells; Reconstructive surgery; Skin & tissue grafts; Stem Cells - physiology; Substitute bone; Survival; Tissue culture; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Vascularization
• ISSN: 0021-9541; 1097-4652
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.22313

The current need for bone grafts in orthopedic and reconstructive surgery cannot be satisfied by autologous tissue transplant due to its limited availability and significant associated morbidity. Tissue engineering approaches could supply sufficient amounts of bone substitutes by exploiting the ability to harvest autologous osteogenic progenitors associated with suitable porous materials. However, the generation of clinically relevant‐sized constructs is critically hampered by limited vascularization, with consequent engraftment and survival only of a thin outer shell, upon in vivo implantation. To overcome this limitation, different non‐mutually exclusive approaches have recently been developed to promote or accelerate graft vascularization, from angiogenic growth factor gene delivery to surgical pre‐vascularization of the construct before implantation. A simple, promising strategy involves the co‐culture of vasculogenic cells to form an intrinsic vascular network inside the graft in vitro, which can rapidly anastomose with the host blood vessels in vivo. Recent data have shown that adipose tissue‐derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) may provide an efficient, convenient, and autologous source for both osteogenic and endothelial cells. When SVF progenitors were cultured in appropriate bioreactor systems and ectopically implanted, a functional vascular network connected to the host was formed concomitantly to bone formation. Future studies should aim at demonstrating that this approach effectively supports survival of scaled up cell‐based bone grafts at an orthotopic site. The procedure should also be adapted to become compatible with an intra‐operative timeline and complemented with the definition of suitable potency markers, to facilitate its development into a simplified, reproducible, and cost‐effective clinical treatment. J. Cell. Physiol. 225: 348–353, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.