Do allogeneic bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells diminish the inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide infusion in horses? A pilot study.

This research aimed to investigate the safety and possible effectiveness of providing a single IV dose of allogeneic equine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) to reduce the effects of endotoxemia in horses. The results show that a single treatment is safe and tolerable, but showed no significant effect on clinical pathology or pro-inflammatory cytokine production.

Research Objective

• The main goal of this pilot study was to examine the potential for allogenic bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) to reduce the inflammatory response in horses suffering from endotoxemia, a serious condition related to instances of colic, a common ailment in horses.

Study Methodology

• In order to test their hypothesis, the researchers induced endotoxemia in six horses via the IV administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
• Subsequently, three of these horses (the test subjects) were given an IV infusion of 100 × 10 allogeneic BM-MSCs, suspended in saline. The remaining three horses (the control group) received only the saline.
• Over the course of the experiment, the researchers monitored for adverse reactions and examined clinicopathological data and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Furthermore, they also examined soluble CD14 (sCD14), a co-receptor that is involved in the immune response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide.

Key Findings

• No immediate adverse reactions were reported in the horses that were treated with the BM-MSCs via intravenous administration.
• There were no significant differences observed in clinicopathological values or the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines between the test and control groups.
• sCD14 concentrations did not exceed the reference range in any horse.

Conclusions and Implications

• The researchers concluded that a single administration of freshly-cultured MSCs is safe and well-tolerated in horses with induced endotoxemia.
• However, they also concluded that there were no significant changes seen in clinicopathological markers or pro-inflammatory cytokine production, suggesting that this treatment might not have an immediate obvious effect on reducing the symptoms of endotoxemia.
• Therefore, the researchers advise that further study involving a larger sample size and possibly longer-term observation needs to be conducted in order to develop a better understanding of the therapeutic potential of this treatment for endotoxemia in horses.