Culture system for longitudinal monitoring of bone remodelingex vivo

Abstract

AbstractTo quantify and visualize both bone formation and resorption within osteochondral explants culturedex vivois challenging with the current analysis techniques. An approach that enables monitoring of bone remodeling dynamics is longitudinal micro-computed tomography (µCT), a non-destructive technique that relies on repeated µCT scanning and subsequent registration of consecutive scans. In this study, a two-compartment culture system suitable for osteochondral explants that allowed for µCT scanning duringex vivoculture was established. Explants were scanned repeatedly in a fixed orientation, which allowed assessment of bone remodeling due to adequate image registration. Using this method, bone formation was found to be restricted to the outer surfaces when cultured statically. To demonstrate that the culture system could capture differences in bone remodeling, explants were cultured statically and under dynamic compression as loading promotes osteogenesis. No quantitative differences between static and dynamic culture were revealed. Still, only in dynamic conditions, bone formation was visualized on trabecular surfaces located within the inner cores, suggesting enhanced bone formation towards the center of the explants upon mechanical loading. Taken together, theex vivoculture system in combination with longitudinal µCT scanning and subsequent registration of images demonstrated potential for evaluating bone remodeling within explants.