Rapid Rapamycin-Only Induced Osteogenic Differentiation of Blood-Derived Stem Cells and Their Adhesion to Natural and Artificial Scaffolds

Figure 2

Electron microscopy demonstrating scaffold colonization of BDSCs differentiated with rapamycin, on bone scaffold. (a) Higher magnification of area indicated in the rectangle displays cells forming tissue-like agglomerates. Notably, electron micrograph captures an osteoblast matrix vesicle just as it initiated the exocytosis of hydroxyapatite (EDX spectrum). (b) Rectangles indicate differentiated osteoblast-like cells as shown by transmission electron microscopy analysis. (c) Higher magnification shows electron-dense granules within the mitochondria and the presence of calcium and phosphorus calcium phosphate aggregates typical of an osteoblast (EDX spectrum). (d) TEM image shows a typical osteoblast cell with flat lamellipodia and dendritic filopodia (bar = 20 μm in (a), 100 μm in (b), bar = 5 μm in (c), and 10 μm in (d)).

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