Enhancement of bone formation ex vivo and in vivo by a helioxanthin-derivative.

To effectively treat serious bone defects using bone-regenerative medicine, a small chemical compound that potently induces bone formation must be developed. We previously reported on the osteogenic effect of 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyrido[40,30:4,5]thieno[2,3-b]pyridine-2-carboxamide (TH), a helioxanthin-derivative, in vitro. Here, we report on TH's osteogenic effects ex vivo and in vivo. TH-induced new bone formation in both calvarial and metatarsal organ cultures. A novel monitoring system of osteoblastic differentiation using MC3T3-E1 cells revealed that TH was released from alpha-TCP bone cement and this release continued for more than one month. Lastly, the implantation of the alpha-TCP carrier containing TH into defects in mouse skull resulted in increased new bone areas within the defects after 4 weeks. A TH-containing scaffold may help establish a more efficient bone regeneration system.