| Tissue engineering is emerging as a means of replacing and treating malfunctioning or depleted bones. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a clinically and commercially viable tissue engineered bone construct using a novel, nano-structured ceramic substrate (nHAPRTM, Angstrom Medica, Woburn, MA) combined with a renewable and autologous cell source, hMSCs. We have examined the effects of culture conditions on cellular functions and metabolism of hMSCs on nHAP and TCP. Our results show that supplementation of the medium with amino acids significantly increases hMSC proliferation on both substrates without impact on osteogenesis. In contrast, increased cell density though delaying osteogenesis, negatively impacted differentiation. These effects were correlated to the metabolic changes underlying cellular expansion and differentiation using MFA. Our results indicate that nHAP accelerates osteogenic differentiation compared to TCP. Moreover, our data suggests that metabolic engineering approaches could be used to enhance and/or accelerate in vitro osteoblast formation. |
