Assessment of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Bone Marrow Aspirate from Human Calcaneus

• Published in: The Journal of foot and ankle surgery 2017-01, Vol.56 (1), p.42-46
• Main Authors: Li, Chunmei, Kilpatrick, Cory D., Smith, Shannon, Glettig, Dean L., Glod, Douglas J., Mallette, Jason, Strunk, Michael R., Chang, Jerry, Angle, Siddhesh R., Kaplan, David L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1067-2516; 1542-2224
• DOI: 10.1053/j.jfas.2016.09.006

Bone marrow aspirates (BMAs), due to their innate osteogenic potential, are well-documented supplements to osteoconductive and/or osteoinductive materials. The calcaneal body provides foot and ankle surgeons a convenient harvest site with low morbidity and minimal cost. In the current study, we attempt to identify and characterize multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in BMAs harvested from human calcaneal body. Ten healthy patients between the age of 18 and 65 were enrolled in this study. BMAs were harvested from the patients without any reported post-operative complications related to the harvest. Cells isolated from all the aspirates were adherent to culture plates and expressed positive MSC surface markers CD105, CD90 and CD73 as well as low level of negative MSC markers CD34 and CD45. The cells maintained the ability to proliferate and differentiate into cells of mesenchymal lineages. The BMAs from the human calcaneal body offer a healthy source of multipotent MSCs.