FIG. 1.

Two-dimensionally (2D) cultured bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) of one donor after 14 days in culture (A). Macrograph of a human cancellous bone (HCB) cube with an approximate edge length of 5 mm (B). Light microscopic image of 3D cultivated BM-MSCs on HCB, 100× (C). Fluorescence microscopic picture of 2D cultivated BM-MSCs depicting nuclei (Hoechst 33342, blue), cytoskeleton (Alexa 555 phalloidin, red), and the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (anti-mouse fibronectin-AK and Alexa Fluor^® 488, green), 100× (D). Fluorescence stereoscopic image of HCB (blue) and vital BM-MSCs stained with calcein (green) (E). Histological section of HCB with adherent BM-MSCs after Giemsa stain, 200× (F). Asterisks mark HCB, and arrows highlight BM-MSCs. Color images available online at www.liebertpub.com/tec