Evaluation of biocompatibility of scaffolds for orthopaedic tissue engineering using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-labeled human bone marrow fibroblastic stem cells

The biocompatibility of scaffolds for orthopaedic tissue engineering using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-labeled human bone marrow fibroblastic (HBMF) stem cells was evaluated. The cells were examined by light and fluorescence microscopy after culture for up to 21 days in vitro and then implanted subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficient/non-obese diabetic mice. The results show that after 21 days in vitro, EGFP-cells could readily be detected by their green fluorescence under incident fluorescence microscopy. It was found that the use of RGFP-labelled HBMF cells is an effective tool to evaluate the interactions between the cells and biomaterials both in vivo and vitro