Abstract
BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated numerous biological properties of mesenchymal stem cells and their potential application in treating complex diseases or injuries to tissues that have difficulty regenerating, such as those affecting the central and peripheral nervous system. Thus, therapies that use mesenchymal stem cells are promising because of their high capacity for self-regeneration, their low immunogenicity, and their paracrine, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective effects. In this context, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of intrathecal transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells in horses, for future application in the treatment of neurological diseases.ResultsDuring the neurological evaluations, no clinical signs were observed that were related to brain and/or spinal cord injury of the animals from the control group or the treated group. The hematological and cerebrospinal fluid results from day 1 and day 6 showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the treated group and the control group. Additionally, analysis of the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -2 and −9 in the cerebrospinal fluid revealed only the presence of pro-MMP-2 (latent), with no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the studied groups.ConclusionsThe results of the present study support the hypothesis of the feasibility and safety of intrathecal transplantation of autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, indicating that it is a promising pathway for cell delivery for the treatment of neurological disorders in horses.
Highlights
Recent studies have demonstrated numerous biological properties of mesenchymal stem cells and their potential application in treating complex diseases or injuries to tissues that have difficulty regenerating, such as those affecting the central and peripheral nervous system
Cultivation, characterization and differentiation capacities of the bone marrow (BM)-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) The cells from the mononuclear fraction of the BM exhibited adherence to the culture dish between 24 and 48 hours and fibroblastoid morphology starting at four days of cultivation
The most interesting finding of our study was the absence of the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), in their activated forms, after bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) transplantation
Summary
Recent studies have demonstrated numerous biological properties of mesenchymal stem cells and their potential application in treating complex diseases or injuries to tissues that have difficulty regenerating, such as those affecting the central and peripheral nervous system. Therapies that use mesenchymal stem cells are promising because of their high capacity for self-regeneration, their low immunogenicity, and their paracrine, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic and neuroprotective effects. Recent studies have demonstrated numerous biological properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as well their potential application to treat complex diseases or injuries to tissues that have difficulty regenerating, such as those that affect the central and peripheral nervous system. Because horses are commonly affected by musculoskeletal, neurological and reproductive disorders, the equine species can be used as a model for experimental MSCs therapy
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