Periosteal osteogenic capacity can be exploited to enhance bone formation in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Despite this importance, there have been no studies examining the composition, structure, and osteogenic capacity of periostea from different bone sources. In this study, structure and osteogenic factor content were compared among periostea from rib, calvarial, femoral, and tibial bones, in which the native bones of these four regions were harvested and subjected to histological analysis. The osteogenic capacity of grafted periosteum was evaluated using an in vivo vascularized pedicle model of bone tissue engineering. Poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-lactic acid) (PEG-PLLA) copolymer hydrogels were seeded with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and implanted with grafted periosteum harvested from either calvarial or tibial bone, which were representative of thin and thick native periostea, respectively. The cambium layer thickness of periostea from the femoral and tibial bones (36.9% ± 2.5% and 36.8% ± 2.6%) was greater than that from the calvarial and rib bones (26.8% ± 2.4% and 25.5% ± 1.9%). The osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase levels were comparatively higher in the femoral and tibial periostea than those in periostea harvested from the calvarial and rib bones. The construct implanted with grafted tibial periosteum resulted in greater neo-bone regeneration and higher osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase expression. This study is the first investigation of the osteogenic capacity of periostea from diverse sources. The results can be used to guide clinical strategies that exploit periostea for tissue engineering and clinical applications.
Keywords: bone tissue engineering; osteogenic capacity; periosteum.