Yonsei Med J.  2003 Apr;44(2):187-197. 10.3349/ymj.2003.44.2.187.

Interaction of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Osteoblasts for in vitro Osteogenesis

• Kim H
• Lee JH
• Suh H

• KMID: 1779464
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2003.44.2.187

Abstract

It has recently been reported that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are systemically administrated to different species, undergo site-specific differentiation. This suggests that the tissue specific cells may cause or promote the differentiation of the MSCs toward their cell type via a cell-to-cell interaction that is mediated not only by hormones and cytokines, but also by direct cell-to-cell contact. In this study, in order to assess the possible synergistic interactions for osteogenesis between the two types of cells, the MSCs derived from rabbit bone marrow were co-cultured with rat calvarial osteoblasts in direct cell-to-cell contact in a control medium (CM) and in an osteogenic medium (OM). The cell number, alkaline phosphatase activity, and amount of calcium deposition were assayed in the cultures of MSCs, osteoblasts, and co-cultures of them in either OM or CM for up to 40 days. The cell numbers and the alkaline phosphatase activities in the co-culture were somewhere in between those of the osteoblast cultures and the MSC cultures. The amounts of deposited calcium were lower in the co-culture compared to those of the other cultures. This suggests that there are little synergistic interactions during osteogenesis in vitro between the rat osteoblasts and rabbit MSCs.

Keyword

Mesenchymal stem cells; osteoblasts; co-culture; osteogenesis; mineralization

MeSH Terms

Alkaline Phosphatase/metabolism
Animals
Calcification, Physiologic
*Cell Communication
Cell Count
Cell Differentiation
Cell Division
Female
Mesoderm/*cytology
Osteoblasts/*physiology
*Osteogenesis
Rabbits
Stem Cells/*physiology