Harvest and culture of hUC-MSCs
An explant culture method [41] was used to culture hUC-MSCs. All surgical procedures and care administered to human samples were approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital (ethics approval no. S2018-093-01). Briefly, after informed consent in writing was obtained, 10 umbilical cord tissues from 10 healthy individuals with full-term pregnancy (age, 25–32 years) were collected and minced into small sections. All samples were obtained from the Maternity Department of Chinese PLA General Hospital (Beijing, China). Following the removal of the vascular, perivascular and epithelial tissues of every small section, the remaining Wharton’s Jelly was minced into 1 cm3 fragments. The fragments were then attached to the bottom of a culture dish and incubated at 37˚C in 5% CO2, from which the hUC-MSCs migrated in the human MSC serum-free medium containing 500 ml human MSC serum-free basal medium (catalog no. CM-SC01; Procell Life Science technology Co., Ltd.), 25 ml human MSC serum-free medium growth additives (catalog no. CM-SC01; Procell Life Science technology Co., Ltd.) and 5 ml gentamicin-streptomycin solution (catalog no. CM-SC01; Procell Life Science technology Co., Ltd.). The third passage cells were used to perform a series of experiments.
Proliferative potential of hUC-MSCs
The hUC-MSCs were plated into 96-well culture plates at a density of 2 × 104 cells/ml, and then were cultured in 100 µl human MSC serum-free medium for 1–10 days to test their proliferative potential using a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), according to the manufacturer’s protocol (catalog no. 35002; Dojindo Molecular Technologies, Inc.).
Phenotype of hUC-MSCs
Flow cytometry was used to analyze the phenotype of hUC-MSCs. Trypsinized cells were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (catalog no. PBS-10001; Cyagen Biosciences, Inc.) at a density of 5 × 106 cells/ml, and a 100 µl sample was incubated with various BD Pharmingen™ PE Mouse anti-Human CD73 (catalog no. 561014; 1:50), CD105 (catalog no. 560839; 1:50), CD34 (catalog no. 560941; 1:50) and BD Pharmingen™ FITC Mouse anti-Human CD90 (catalog no. 561969; 1:50), CD45 (catalog no. 560976; 1:50), CD11a (catalog no. 555383; 1:50) and HLA-DR catalog no. 560944; 1:50) antibodies (BD Biosciences) for 45 min at room temperature. Control samples were incubated with PBS instead of antibodies. Antibody binding was examined using a FACScan flow cytometer (Beckman Coulter) and was analyzed using FlowJo v10.6.2 (BD Biosciences).
Osteogenic differentiation potential of hUC-MSCs
Osteogenic differentiation was induced in hUC-MSCs by Oricell™ hUC-MSCs osteogenic differentiation medium kit (catalog no. HUXUC-90021; Cyagen Biosciences, Inc.). The cells were seeded in 24-well culture plates at a density of 1 × 104 cells/cm2 and cultured in the human MSC serum-free medium. When confluence recached 80–90%, the cells were cultured in hUC-MSCs osteogenic differentiation medium for 21 days, and then were fixed with 4% neutral formaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature. The extracellular matrix calcification was examined using Alizarin red staining for 5 min at room temperature. The stained cells were photographed under an inverted light microscope.
Adipogenic differentiation potential of hUC-MSCs
Adipogenic differentiation was induced in hUC-MSCs by Oricell™ hUC-MSCs adipogenic differentiation medium kit (catalog no. HUXUC-90031; Cyagen Biosciences Inc, USA). The cells were plated onto chamber slides in 6-well plates at a density of 2 × 104 cells/cm2 and cultured in the human MSC serum-free medium. When confluence reached 100%, the cells were cultured in hUC-MSCs adipogenic differentiation medium for 21 days, and then were fixed with 4% neutral formaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature and examined with Oil red O staining for 30 min at room temperature. The stained cells were photographed under an inverted light microscope.
Effect of rhBMP-7 on the osteogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs seeded on culture plates
The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto chamber slides in 24-well culture plates or 24-well culture plates at a density of 1 × 105 cells/cm2 and were cultured in the human MSC serum-free medium. When confluence reached 80–90%, the cells were cultured in 1 ml human MSC serum-free medium, 1 ml human MSC serum-free OMD, or 1 ml human MSC serum-free OMD supplemented with 100 ng/ml rhBMP-7 (catalog no. 354-BP-010/CF; R&D Systems, Inc.) [36]. The serum-free Oricell™ hUC-MSCs osteogenic differentiation medium served as OMD. On day 14 of differentiation, the cells were fixed with 4% neutral formaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature. Immunofluorescence staining was used to examine the expression of OCN. Simply, the cells were incubated with mouse anti-human OCN monoclonal antibody (catalog no. MAB1419; 1:50; R&D Systems, Inc.) overnight at 4˚C. FITC-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG secondary antibody (1:50; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.) was applied for 2 h at room temperature. The nucleus was stained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (Merck KGaA) for 15 min at room temperature. Subsequently, the confocal images were recorded using a confocal microscope.
The Gomori calcium-cobalt method [40] was then used to estimate alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. The mineral formation was examined using Alizarin red staining for 5 min at room temperature. The stained cells were photographed under an inverted light microscope. For mineral formation measurements, each well was eluted for 30 min at room temperature with 1 ml 10% acetic acid solution on the rocking bed. The absorbance values of the eluent were then measured at 490 nm using a microplate reader [40].
Preparation and seeding of nHAC/PLA scaffolds
The nHAC/PLA materials (Beijing Allgens Medical Science & Technology Co., Ltd.) were constructed into blocks of 3.5 × 3.5 × 3.5, 5 × 5 × 5 and 10 × 4 × 3 mm. The samples were rinsed with 100% alcohol and sterilized with cobalt 60. The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto nHAC/PLA in 24-well plates and cultured in the human MSC serum-free medium for 24 h at 37˚C, allowing the cells to adhere to nHAC/PLA. The medium was then changed to additional human MSC serum-free medium, human MSC serum-free OMD or human MSC serum-free OMD supplemented with 100 ng/ml rhBMP-7. The constructs were then ready for a series of experiments.
Scanning electron microscopy
The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto 10 × 4 × 3 mm nHAC/PLA scaffolds in 24-well plates at a density of 1 × 107 cells/cm2 per sample and were cultured in 1 ml mentioned above medium for 7 days. The constructs were fixed with 2% paraformaldehyde and 2.5% glutaraldehyde (Merck KGaA) in 0.1 mol/l phosphate buffer for 48 h at room temperature, and were then rinsed with PBS, different concentrations of ethanol, and different concentrations of hexamethyldisilazane. The construct were glued with conducing paste (catalog no. C680548; 8 mmx20 m; Nissin EM Co., Ltd.) to appropriate mounting stabs and coated with a several nanometer-thick layer of gold and examined under a Hitachi S-520 scanning electron microscope.
Effect of rhBMP-7 on the proliferation of hUC-MSCs combined with nHAC/PLA
The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto 3.5 × 3.5 × 3.5 mm nHAC/PLA scaffolds in 96-well plates at a density of 2 × 104 cells/cm2 per sample and were cultured in 100 µl mentioned above medium for 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 days to measure the proliferation of hUC-MSCs using CCK-8 according to the manufacturer’s protocol (catalog no. 35002; Dojindo Molecular Technologies, Inc.).
Effect of rhBMP-7 on the osteogenic differentiation of hUC-MSCs combined with nHAC/PLA
The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto 5 × 5 × 5 mm nHAC/PLA scaffolds in 24-well plates at a density of 1 × 106 cells/cm2 per sample and were cultured in 1.5 ml mentioned above medium for 7 and 14 days. The medium was then collected from the wells to measure calcium (Ca) concentration [catalog no. 05168449190; Calcium Gen.2 (Ca 2) kit; Roche Diagnostics GmbH] phosphorous (P) concentration [catalog no. 05171377190; Phosphate (Inorganic) ver.2 (PHOS2) kit; Roche Diagnostics GmbH], ALP activity (catalog no. 03333701190; Alkaline Phosphatase acc. to IFCC Gen.2 kit; Roche Diagnostics GmbH) and OCN concentration (catalog no. 12149133122; Elecsys N-MID Osteocalcin kit; Roche Diagnostics GmbH) using an automatic biochemical analyzer (Roche COBAS8000; Roche Diagnostics GmbH) in the Biochemistry Department of Chinese PLA General Hospital. On day 14 of culture, the constructs were examined using Alizarin red staining for 5 min at room temperature and photographed. For mineral formation measurements, each construct was eluted for 30 min at room temperature with 1 ml 10% acetic acid solution on the rocking bed. The constructs were then removed and the absorbance value of the eluent was measured at 490 nm using a microplate reader. The nHAC/PLA without cells was used as a blank control. The absorbance value of the blank control well was subtracted from the experimental well points to control stain retention.
Total cellular RNA was then extracted from the constructs with TRIzol reagent (catalog no. 15596-018; Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.), and reverse-transcribed into cDNA using a Reverse Transcription kit (catalog no. A5001; Promega Corporation) with annealing at 25˚C for 5 min, extension at 42˚C for 60 min and inactivating at 70˚C for 15 min. SYBR® Green Real-time polymerase chain reaction Master mix (catalog no. QPK-201; Toyobo Life Science) was used to quantify the target genes, including ALP, OCN, BMP-2 and GAPDH. Simply, the components of the PCR system were added and uniformly mixed to 20 µl, with 95˚C of pre-denaturation for 5 min, followed by qPCR, with denaturation at 95˚C for 10 sec, annealing at 60˚C for 30 sec, and extension at 72˚C for 30 sec. A total of 40 cycles were performed. The 2−ΔΔCq method [42] was used to evaluate relative gene expression normalized by the Cq of the housekeeping gene GAPDH. The Cq value of hU-CMSCs + nHAC/PLA cultured in serum-free medium for 7 days served as the calibrator (biological replicates, n = 3; technical replicates, n = 3). The primer sequences are listed in Table 1.
Table 1
Sequences of primers used for RT-PCR and the product size
Gene
|
Sequence
|
Product size (bp)
|
ALP
|
Forward:5′- CTATCCTGGCTCCGTGCTC-3′
|
100
|
|
Reverse:5′- GCTGGCAGTGGTCAGATGTT-3′
|
|
OCN
|
Forward: 5′-CTCACACTCCTCGCCCTATT-3′
|
107
|
|
Reverse:5′- TTGGACACAAAGGCTGCAC-3′
|
|
BMP-2
|
Forward:5′-ACCCGCTGTCTTCTAGCGT-3′
|
180
|
|
Reverse:5′-TTTCAGGCCGAACATGCTGAG-3′
|
|
GAPDH
|
Forward:5′-TCAAGAAGGTGGTGAAGCAGG-3′
|
131
|
|
Reverse:5′-GCGTCAAAGGTGGAGGAGTG-3′
|
|
ALP, alkaline phosphatase; OCN, osteocalcin; BMP-2, bone morphogenetic protein-2. |
Surgical procedure
The hUC-MSCs were seeded onto 10 × 4 × 3 mm nHAC/PLA scaffolds in 24-well plates at a density of 1 × 107 cells/cm2 per sample and were cultured in 1 ml mentioned above medium for 7 days. Next, the segmental jaw bone defects (10 × 4 × 3 mm) were performed in 24 6-month-old female New Zealand white rabbits (2.80 ± 0.35 kg; Medical Laboratory Animal Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital; Fig. 1). New Zealand white rabbits in each group were administered using 0.5 ml/kg 1:1(V/V) xylazine hydrochloride injection [catalog no. (2015)070011777; 0.25 mg/kg; HuaMu Animal Health Products Co., Ltd.; Jilin; China] and midazolam injection (catalog no. H10980025; 5 mg/kg; Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; China) by intramuscular injection. And then the nHAC/PLA, hUC-MSCs + nHAC/PLA, hUC-MSCs + nHAC/PLA + OMD, and hUC-MSCs + nHAC/PLA + OMD + rhBMP-7 were implanted into the jaw bone defects of 24 New Zealand white rabbits and subcutaneously into the backs of 6 6-week-old female nude mice (18.00 ± 0.26 g; Medical Laboratory Animal Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital). New Zealand white rabbits were housed in cages in a normal environment with a temperature of 16–26˚C, a relative humidity of 40–70%, a minimum air change of 8 times per h. The nude mice were housed in cages in a barrier environment with a temperature of 20–26˚C, a relative humidity of 40–70%, a minimum air change of 15 times per h. They were exposed to 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness every day and fed a regular diet and drinking water. All surgical procedures and care administered to the animals were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital and performed according to their guidelines (ethics approval no. 2018-X14-87).
Assessment of bone formation
After 3 months of implantation, the rabbits were sacrificed by anesthesia;the nude mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The implants of jaw bone defect and the back of nude mice were removed surgically, and then were fixed in 10% formalin. The implants of jaw bone defect were evaluated by the Quantum GX µCT System with a source voltage of 70 kV, current of 114 µA and 4.5 µm accuracy. Three-dimensional images of the defects were reconstructed from the scans by the Quantum GX µCT Workstation.
Next, all implants were embedded, specimens were trimmed using waterproof polishing paper without demineralization, cut into 5-µm sections, and stained using hematoxylin and eosin for 5 min at room temperature. The stained sections were photographed under an inverted light microscope. For morphometric analysis, the extent of newly formed bone was indicated by the percentage of bone formation area within the section. Every 5 sections, picked one, and then five consecutive sections per implant were obtained to evaluate the percentage of bone formation area. Five fields of view were selected for each section per implant under an inverted light microscope (magnification x200) and were calculated using a Leica Qwin v3.2 image analysis system (Leica Microsystems Inc.). Total scores per section were calculated and averaged for all sections to obtain an overall score for each implant. Data were then averaged across all implants within each group.
Furthermore, the sections of ectopic implants were examined by immunohistochemical staining. Simply, the sections were incubated using mouse anti-human OCN monoclonal antibody (catalog no. MAB1419; 1:50; R&D Systems, Inc.) overnight at 4˚C. The sections were then washed using PBS and incubated with biotin-conjugated swine-anti-mouse IgG (catalog no. Sp-9002; Beijing Zhongshan Goldenbridge Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) working solutions for 2 h at room temperature. Subsequently, the sections were washed using PBS and incubated with streptavidin-biotin complex/horseradish peroxidase working solutions (catalog nos. SP-9002; Beijing Zhongshan Goldenbridge Biotechnology Co., Ltd.) for 1 h at room temperature. Next, the staining was visualized by using 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (catalog no. zli-9018; Beijing Zhongshan Goldenbridge Biotechnology Co., Ltd.), and then the sections were stained with hematoxylin dye solution for 5 min at room temperature. Negative controls were incubated with PBS instead of primary antibody. The stained sections were photographed under an inverted light microscope.
Statistical analysis
All data are presented as the mean ± standard deviation. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 (SPSS, Inc.). Levene’s test was used to verify the homogeneity of variance of data. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s multiple comparison tests. Tamhane's T2 multiple comparison test was used on data with a non-normal distribution or unequal variance. P < 0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference.