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In vivo bioluminescence imaging study to monitor ectopic bone formation by luciferase gene marked mesenchymal stem cells
Author(s) -
Olivo Cristina,
Alblas Jacqueline,
Verweij Vivienne,
Van Zonneveld AntonJan,
Dhert Wouter J. A.,
Martens Anton C. M.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.20582
Subject(s) - bioluminescence imaging , mesenchymal stem cell , in vivo , bioluminescence , luciferase , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , stem cell , biomedical engineering , biology , medicine , transfection , biochemistry , gene
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a powerful tool for applications in regenerative medicine. In this study, we used in vivo bioluminescence imaging to noninvasively investigate the fate and the contribution to bone formation of adult MSCs in tissue engineered constructs. Goat MSCs expressing GFP‐luciferase were seeded on ceramic scaffolds and implanted subcutaneously in immune‐deficient mice. The constructs were monitored weekly with bioluminescence imaging and were retrieved after 7 weeks to quantify bone formation by histomorphometry. With increasing amounts of seeded MSCs (from 0 to 1 × 10 6 MSC/scaffold), a cell‐dose related increase in bioluminescence was observed at all time points, correlating with increased bone formation at 7 weeks. To investigate the relevance of MSC proliferation to bone deposition, cell‐seeded scaffolds were irradiated. The irradiated cells were functional with respect to oxygen consumption but no increase in bioluminescence was observed in vivo, and only minimal bone was produced. Proliferating MSCs are likely required for initiation of bone formation in tissue engineered constructs in vivo. Bioluminescence is a useful tool to monitor cellular responses and predict bone formation in vivo. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:901–909, 2008