Current Advances in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapies Applied to Wounds and Skin, Eye, and Neuromuscular Diseases in Companion Animals

Animals, 2024 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091363 · Published: April 30, 2024

Regenerative Medicine Veterinary Medicine

Simple Explanation

Mesenchymal stem cell therapies have emerged as a promising alternative for diseases where conventional therapies are not effective. This review summarizes the current knowledge on mesenchymal stem cell therapies and their potential therapeutic effects on wound, skin, ocular, and neuromuscular diseases in dogs and cats. MSCs are easily isolated from various tissues and possess the ability to differentiate into cells from diverse tissues. This potential has positioned MSC-based therapy as a highly promising treatment.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Dogs and cats

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
MSC-based therapies have shown promising results in pathologies like spinal cord injuries, wounds, and skin and eye diseases.
2
MSCs promote angiogenesis, neovascularization, collagen synthesis, reepithelialization, and reduction of inflammation in wounds and skin diseases.
3
MSCs' anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties are particularly useful in eye diseases, such as keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

Research Summary

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising tool in cell therapies and regenerative medicine because they are easy to obtain and can differentiate into different cell types. MSC-based therapies have shown promising results in spinal cord injuries, wounds, and skin and eye diseases in dogs and cats. Future research will focus on designing protocols and methodologies that allow more precise and effective MSC treatments for each case.

Practical Implications

Clinical Decision Support

Veterinarians can use the review to make informed decisions about MSC-based therapy suitability for specific conditions in dogs and cats.

Treatment Optimization

The review highlights factors influencing the effectiveness of cell therapies, guiding researchers to design more precise and effective MSC treatments.

Future Research Directions

The review identifies the need for studies combining cell therapies and tissue engineering, especially with spontaneous lesions.

Study Limitations

1
Variability in treatment effectiveness due to factors like cell source, injury type/degree, cell dosage, administration route, and patient characteristics.
2
Lack of standardized protocols for MSC-based therapies makes comparing studies and ensuring reproducibility challenging.
3
Limited number of clinical studies, particularly for certain eye diseases, necessitating more research with larger animal cohorts and different dosing regimens.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Regenerative Medicine