Development of bone regeneration strategies using human periosteum‐derived osteoblasts and oxygen‐releasing microparticles in mandibular osteomyelitis model of miniature pig

Hypoxia and limited vascularization inhibit bone growth and recovery after surgical debridement to treat osteomyelitis. Similarly, despite significant efforts to create functional tissue-engineered organs, clinical success is often hindered by insufficient oxygen diffusion and poor vascularization. To overcome these shortcomings, we previously used the oxygen carrier perfluorooctane (PFO) to develop PFO emulsion-loaded hollow microparticles (PFO-HPs). PFO-HPs act as a local oxygen source that increase cell viability and maintains the osteogenic differentiation potency of human periosteum-derived cells (hPDCs) under hypoxic conditions. In the present study, we used a miniature pig model of mandibular osteomyelitis to investigate bone regeneration using hPDCs seeded on PFO-HPs (hPDCs/PFO-HP) or hPDCs seeded on phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-HPs (hPDCs/PBS-HP). Osteomyelitis is characterized by a series of microbial invasion, vascular disruption, bony necrosis, and sequestrum formation due to impaired host defense response. Sequential plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), and 3D reconstructed CT images revealed new bone formation was more advanced in defects that had been implanted with the hPDCs/PFO-HPs than in defects implanted with the hPDCs/PBS-HP. Thus, PFO-HPs are a promising tissue engineering approach to repair challenging bone defects and regenerate structurally organized bone tissue with 3D architecture.