Evaluation of the ability of a gravitational filtration system to enhance recovery of equine bone marrow elements.

The study evaluates the effectiveness of a gravitational filtration system in recovering bone marrow elements, such as stem and progenitor cells from horses.

Methodology

In this study:

• 12 healthy adult horses were selected.
• Bone marrow aspirates were collected from the fifth sternebral body and filtered using a gravity flow system.
• The filtered bone marrow and raw bone marrow were tested for white blood cell count, platelet count, cell viability, and differentiation capacity.
• The harvested marrow was evaluated for the presence of CD90 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens.
• Cells obtained were checked for their capacity to differentiate into chondrocytes, osteocytes, adipocytes, and tenocytes, indicating their multipotent nature.

Results

The findings of the study indicated that:

• The average cell viability in the harvested bone marrow was 95.9%.
• It was found that over 95% of total white blood cells and platelets were successfully captured on the filter.
• The mean recovery in the harvested bone marrow was 30%.
• The differential counts indicated a significantly lower percentage of neutrophils and a significantly higher progenitor cell population in the harvested bone marrow compared to the raw bone marrow.
• The harvested bone marrow cells were characterized as positive for CD90 expression and negative for both MHC I and MHC II.

Conclusion

The study concluded that using gravitational filtration for bone marrow provided a more potent yield of platelets and cells. Moreover, this process yielded a product that was enriched with progenitor cells and reduced in leukocytes, as compared to raw bone marrow. The cells harvested were stem cells with a multipotent phenotype that efficiently differentiated into various cell types, providing further support for the effectiveness of the filtration system.