Buccal Fat Pad as a Potential Source of Stem Cells for Bone Regeneration: an in vitro Study in Static and Dynamic Culture

Adipose tissues hold great promise in bone tissue engineering since they are available in large quantities as a waste material. The buccal fat pad (BFP) is a specialized mass of adipose tissue that can be easily obtained via the oral cavity without injury to the external body surface. Another advantage of BFP over subcutaneous fat is that its size appears to be similar among different people, independent of body weight and fat distribution. However, limited studies have been conducted on the osteogenic capability of stem cells derived from BFP (BFPSCs). In this study, the BFPSCs were characterized for their osteogenic differentiation potential especially in contact with a synthetic scaffold in a perfusion bioreactor. The features of BFPSCs were compared with bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) as a well known cell source for bone tissue engineering. Comparing BFPSCs with BMSCs indicated similar morphology, but faster proliferation rate of BMSCs. Moreover, when properly induced for two weeks, BFPSCs resembled BMSCs in the production of bone-specific markers, such as alkaline phosphatase, collagen, bone morphogenic protein (BMP), Runx2, and osteocalcin. Both cell types attached nicely to the pores of a gelatin-coated β-Tricalcium phosphate scaffolds. More osteogenic differentiation potential was observed for both cells under dynamic culture in a perfusion bioreactor compared with static culture. The highest collagen content and BMP production were observed in BFPSCs cultured in the bioreactor for two weeks. These results define BFP as a new, rich, and accessible source of stem cells for tissue engineering purposes