An overview of the role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in veterinary medicine and their use in musculoskeletal disorders

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells isolated from different sources that can differentiate into other types of cells. In humans, these sources include; bone marrow, fat (adipose tissue), umbilical cord tissue (Wharton’s Jelly) or amniotic fluid (the fluid surrounding a fetus). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells, with capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into tissues of mesodermal origin. These cells are possible therapeutic agents for autoimmune disorders, since they present remarkable immunomodulatory ability. The increase of immune-mediated diseases in veterinary medicine has led to a growing interest in the research of these disorders and their medical treatment. Conventional immunomodulatory drug therapy such as glucocorticoids or other novel therapies such as cyclosporine or monoclonal antibodies are associated with numerous side effects that limit its long-term use, leading to the need for developing new therapeutic strategies that can be more effective and safe. Adipose tissue derived stem cells (ASCs) are mesenchymal stem cells which can be obtained from different adipose tissue sources within the body. It is an abundant cell pool, which is easy accessible and the cells can be obtained in large numbers, cultivated and expanded in vitro and prepared for tissue engineering approaches, especially for skeletal tissue repair. In the recent years this cell population has attracted a great amount of attention among researchers in human as well as in veterinary medicine. In the meantime ASCs have been well characterized and their use in regenerative medicine is very well established. This review focuses on the characterization of ASCs for their use for tissue engineering approaches especially in veterinary medicine and also highlights a selection of clinical trials on the basis of ASCs as the relevant cell source.

کلیدواژه ها:

Fat derived stem cells ، regenerative medicine ، orthopedic diseases ، horse ، dog