Preferential arrangement of mature osteoblast from juvenile mouse calvariae on the oriented collagen substrate

Abstract

Bone tissue has a highly anisotropic microstructure composed of biological apatite (BAp) and collagen fibrils, which is closely related to bone mechanical function. The formation of anisotropic bone microstructure is governed by bone-forming osteoblasts; therefore, establishment of isolation method of osteoblasts and assessment of their arrangement for generating bone tissue with optimally oriented microstructure during bone reconstruction are important. In this study, we established the isolation and culture conditions of mature osteoblasts derived from juvenile mice (2-week-old). Osteoblasts from juvenile mice expressed significantly higher level of osteoblastic markers (alkaline phosphatase, osterix, and osteocalcin) than osteoblasts from neonatal mice, indicating that juvenile osteoblasts are promising materials for bone tissue engineering. Moreover, the mature osteoblasts aligned along the collagen molecule direction of substrate. This is the report that shows preferential orientation of mature osteoblasts isolated from juvenile mice.