Inorganic mineral and vascular promoting microenvironments for neo-bone formation

Abstract

Various strategies have been explored to stimulate a prospective process of new bone formation including angiogenic stimulations and inorganic materials treatment. Neovascularization during the endochondral ossification process is one of the most crucial factors in providing sufficient nutrients and bone forming minerals. In this respect, various applications utilizing human vascular endothelial growth factors (hVEGF) have shown to promote blood vessel formation and enhance bone formation. Recently, whitlockite (WH), a novel phase of calcium phosphate, has been synthesized as a novel inorganic biomaterials for bone tissue engineering applications. In this study, our aim was to explore the potential use of hVEGF and whitlockite for bone formation. Our study demonstrated that hVEGF and WH synergistically stimulated osteogenic commitment of human tonsil-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hTMSC) both in vitro and in vivo.