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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d3285203e99">Non-hereditary heterotopic ossification (NHHO) may
occur after musculoskeletal trauma,
central nervous system (CNS) injury, or surgery. We previously described circulating
osteogenic precursor (COP) cells as a bone marrow-derived type 1 collagen+CD45+subpopulation
of mononuclear adherent cells that are able of producing extraskeletal ossification
in a murine in vivo implantation assay. In the current study, we performed a tissue
analysis of COP cells in NHHO secondary to defined conditions, including traumatic
brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebrovascular accident, trauma without neurologic
injury, and joint arthroplasty. All bone specimens revealed the presence of COP cells
at 2-14 cells per high power field. COP cells were localized to early fibroproliferative
and neovascular lesions of NHHO with evidence for their circulatory status supported
by their presence near blood vessels in examined lesions. This study provides the
first systematic evaluation of COP cells as a contributory histopathological finding
associated with multiple forms of NHHO. These data support that circulating, hematopoietic-derived
cells with osteogenic potential can seed inflammatory sites, such as those subject
to soft tissue injury, and due to their migratory nature, may likely be involved in
seeding sites distant to CNS injury.
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