• Václav Vaněček, Karel Klíma, Aleš Kohout, René Foltán, Ondřej Jiroušek, Jiří Šedý, Jan Štulík, Eva Syková, and Pavla Jendelová.
• Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (ASCR), Vídeňská 1083, 142 20, Prague 4, Czech Republic.
• Eur Spine J. 2013 Dec 1;22(12):2777-86.

PurposeVertebral body defects represent one of the most common orthopedic challenges. In order to advance the transfer of stem cell therapies into orthopedic clinical practice, we performed this study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a composite bioartificial graft based on a hydroxyapatite bone scaffold (CEM-OSTETIC(®)) combined with human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in a rat model of vertebral body defects.MethodsUnder general isoflurane anesthesia, a defect in the body of the L2 vertebra was prepared and left to heal spontaneously (group 1), implanted with scaffold material alone (group 2), or implanted with a scaffold together with 0.5 million MSCs (group 3) or 5 million MSCs (group 4). The rats were killed 8 weeks after surgery. Histological and histomorphometrical evaluation of the implant as well as micro-CT imaging of the vertebrae were performed.ResultsWe observed a significant effect on the formation of new bone tissue in the defect in group 4 when compared to the other groups and a reduced inflammatory reaction in both groups receiving a scaffold and MSCs. We did not detect any substantial pathological changes or tumor formation after graft implantation.ConclusionsMSCs in combination with a hydroxyapatite scaffold improved the repair of a model bone defect and might represent a safe and effective alternative in the treatment of vertebral bone defects.

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