Spatiotemporal Analyses of Osteogenesis and Angiogenesis via Intravital Imaging in Cranial Bone Defect Repair

Osteogenesis and angiogenesis are two integrated components in bone repair and regeneration. A deeper understanding of osteogenesis and angiogenesis has been hampered by technical difficulties of analyzing bone and neovasculature simultaneously in spatiotemporal scales and in three-dimensional formats. To overcome these barriers, a cranial defect window chamber model was established that enabled high-resolution, longitudinal, and real-time tracking of angiogenesis and bone defect healing via Multiphoton Laser Scanning Microscopy (MPLSM). By simultaneously probing new bone matrix via second harmonic generation (SHG), neovascular networks via intravenous perfusion of fluorophore, and osteoblast differentiation via 2.3kb collagen type I promoter driven GFP (Col2.3GFP), we examined the morphogenetic sequence of cranial bone defect healing and further established the spatiotemporal analyses of osteogenesis and angiogenesis coupling in repair and regeneration. We demonstrated that bone defect closure was initiated in the residual bone around the edge of the defect. The expansion and migration of osteoprogenitors into the bone defect occurred during the first 3 weeks of healing, coupled with vigorous microvessel angiogenesis at the leading edge of the defect. Subsequent bone repair was marked by matrix deposition and active vascular network remodeling within new bone. Implantation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) isolated from Col2.3GFP mice further showed that donor-dependent bone formation occurred rapidly within the first 3 weeks of implantation, in concert with early angiogenesis. The subsequent bone wound closure was largely host-dependent, associated with localized modest induction of angiogenesis. The establishment of a live imaging platform via cranial window provides a unique tool to understand osteogenesis and angiogenesis in repair and regeneration, enabling further elucidation of the spatiotemporal regulatory mechanisms of osteoprogenitor cell interactions with host bone healing microenvironment.