Impact of 3D cell culture on bone regeneration potential of mesenchymal stromal cells

As populations age across the world, osteoporosis and osteoporosis-related fractures are becoming the most prevalent degenerative bone diseases. More than 75 million patients suffer from osteoporosis in the US, the EU and Japan. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the number of patients affected by osteoporosis will increase by a third by 2050. Although conventional therapies including bisphosphonates, calcitonin and oestrogen-like drugs can be used to treat degenerative diseases, they are often associated with serious side effects including the development of oesophageal cancer, ocular inflammation, severe musculoskeletal pain, and osteonecrosis of the jaw. The use of autologous mesenchymal stromal cells/mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a possible alternative therapeutic approach to tackle osteoporosis while overcoming the limitations of traditional treatment options. However, osteoporosis can cause a decrease in the numbers of MSCs, induce their senescence, and lower their osteogenic differentiation potential. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is an emerging technology that allows a more physiological expansion and differentiation of stem cells compared to cultivation on conventional flat systems. This review will discuss current understanding of the effects of different 3D cell culture systems on proliferation, viability, osteogenic differentiation, as well as on the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory potential of MSCs

Differential effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-analogs on osteoblast-like cells and onin vitro bone resorption

Although numerous studies have shown potent antiproliferative and differentiation-inducing effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) and its analogs on cells not directly related to bone metabolism, only few reports focussed on the effects of these analogs on bone. We compared the action of several recently developed analogs with that of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on human (MG-63) and rat (ROS 17/2.8) osteoblast-like cells and onin vitro bone resorption. In MG-63 cells the analogs EB1089 and KH1060 were about 166,000 and 14,000 times more potent than 1,25-(OH)2D3 in stimulating type I procollagen and 100 and 6,000 times more potent in stimulating osteocalcin production, respectively. Also in ROS 17/2.8 cells EB1089 and KH1060 were most potent in inducing osteocalcin synthesis. In vitro bone resorption was 2.3 and 17.5 times more potently stimulated by EB1089 and KH1060, respectively. In MG-63 cells, 1,25-(OH)2D3 and the analogs inhibited cell proliferation, whereas both 1,25-(OH)2D3 and the analogs stimulated the growth of ROS 17/2.8 cells. Differences in potency could neither be explained by affinity for the vitamin D receptor nor by a differential involvement of protein kinase C in the action of the analogs. Together, these data show that also in bone the analogs EB1089 and KH1060 are more potent than 1,25-(OH)2D3 but that the potency of the analogs compared to 1,25-(OH)2D3 is dependent on the biological response. On the basis of these observations it can be concluded that the reported reduced calcemic effectin vivo is not the result of a decreased responsiveness of bone to these analogs. Lastly, in view of eventual clinical application of 1,25-(OH)2D3-analogs, the observed stimulation ofin vitro bone resorption and growth of an osteosarcoma cell line warrantin vivo studies to further examine these effects