Summary
The osteogenic potential of red bone marrow was first reported more than 100 years
ago. Since then, studies have reported controversial results that do not confirm nor
disprove the capacity of fresh red bone marrow to produce bone. Researches have been
focused on techniques that improve the efficiency of the bone marrow, including: the
increase of the concentration of the mesenchymal stem cells in the aspirated bone
marrow, the combination with a ‘carrier’ that helps to maintain the mesenchymal stem
cells and guides and supports the vascular ingrowth in the defect, or the combination
with bone growth factors that stimulate the marrow stromal cells to differentiate
into bone forming cells. Each of these techniques has its drawbacks and increases
the expenses of an operation. On the other hand, the synergistic effect observed with
these combinations does not resolve the problem of the osteogenic capacity of pure
bone marrow, which still remains questionable.
Keywords
Bone marrow - osteogenesis - osteoinduction - ceramics - growth factors