In situ Raman spectroscopic monitoring of hydroxyapatite as human mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into osteoblasts

The differentiation of stem cells into specific cell types is playing an essential role in the development of stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. In this research, Raman microspectroscopy was applied to monitor the development of hydroxyapatite [HA, Ca-5 (PO4)(3) (OH)], which is associated with the differentiation of the human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) into osteoblasts. Raman spectra exhibited dramatic changes in the HA region, 950-970 cm(-1), over the period of 7-21 days after the start of differentiation. This work demonstrates the successful application of Raman spectroscopy for monitoring and quantitatively evaluating hMSC differentiation into osteoblasts. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.