Growth and Development Symposium: Stem cell therapy in equine tendon injury.
Abstract: Tendon injuries affect all levels of athletic horses and represent a significant loss to the equine industry. Accumulation of microdamage within the tendon architecture leads to formation of core lesions. Traditional approaches to tendon repair are based on an initial period of rest to limit the inflammatory process followed by a controlled reloading program designed to promote the maturation and linear arrangement of scar tissue within the lesion. However, these treatment protocols are inefficient, resulting in prolonged recovery periods and frequent recurrence. Current alternative therapies include the use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) and a population of nucleated cells from adipose containing adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSC). Umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells (UCB) have recently received attention for their increased plasticity in vitro and potential as a therapeutic aid. Both BMSC and AdMSC require expansion in culture before implantation to obtain a pure stem cell population, limiting the time frame for implantation. Collected at parturition, UCB can be cryopreserved for future use. Furthermore, the low immunogenicity of the UCB population allows for allogeneic implantation. Current research indicates that BMSC, AdMSC, and UCB can differentiate into tenocyte-like cells in vitro, increasing expression of scleraxis, tenascin c, and extracellular matrix proteins. When implanted, BMSC and AdMSC engraft into the tendon and improve tendon architecture. However, treatment with these stem cells does not decrease recovery period. Furthermore, the resulting regeneration is not optimal, as the resulting tissue is still inferior to native tendon. Umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells may provide an alternate source of stem cells that promote improved regeneration of tendon tissue. A more naïve cell population, these cells may have a greater rate of engraftment as well as an increased ability to secrete bioactive factors and recruit additional reparative cells. Further work should clarify the role of distinct stem cell sources in the regenerating tendon and the need for a naïve or differentiated cell type for implantation.
Publication Date: 2012-10-16 PubMed ID: 23100589DOI: 10.2527/jas.2012-5736Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This study discusses the inefficiency of traditional treatments for tendon injuries in horses and presents the potential of various stem cell therapies, including bone marrow-derived, adipose-derived, and umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells, in repairing the tendon architecture and improving recovery outcomes.
Overview of the Study
- The researchers undertook this study to address the impact of tendon injuries in athletic horses, which pose a significant problem for the equine industry. These injuries primarily arise from the accumulation of minor damage within the tendon, forming what are known as core lesions.
- The conventional methods employed to treat such injuries, which include a period of rest followed by a controlled, progressive loading program, were pointed out as being inefficient due to the long recovery periods required and the high rates of recurrence seen.
Stem Cell Therapies in Focus
- Current alternative therapies to treat tendon injuries in horses include using mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow (BMSC) and adipose tissue (AdMSC), which are capable of turning into tendon-like cells in lab conditions.
- However, these therapies require the stem cells to be grown in a laboratory before being implanted, thus limiting the implantation timeframe.
- Another emerging therapy involves the use of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood (UCB), which can be stored for future use and present low risk for immune rejection due to their low immunogenicity. These cells can also be implanted into unrelated horses.
Potential Benefits and Drawbacks of Stem Cell Therapies
- While BMSC and AdMSC therapies were found to have some degree of beneficial effect in improving tendon structure, they did not significantly reduce recovery time, and the regenerated tissue still remained subpar as compared to the biological tissue.
- With UCB therapies, which apparently make use of a less specialized (more naive) population of stem cells, the researchers posit they may experience a better rate of integration into the existing tissue and may be more effective in producing essential proteins and attracting additional reparative cells.
Conclusion and Future Research Needs
- The study underscores that more research work needs to be done to clarify the role of the various types of stem cells in tendon regeneration, and to determine whether naive or more specialized stem cells are more effective for implantation.
- This further research could potentially shed light on the best therapeutic approach to treat tendon injuries in horses, ultimately improving recovery periods and reducing the recurrence rates of these injuries in the equine industry.
Cite This Article
APA
Reed SA, Leahy ER.
(2012).
Growth and Development Symposium: Stem cell therapy in equine tendon injury.
J Anim Sci, 91(1), 59-65.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5736 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. sarah.reed@uconn.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horse Diseases / therapy
- Horses / injuries
- Stem Cell Transplantation / veterinary
- Tendon Injuries / therapy
- Tendon Injuries / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 15 times.- Petrova V, Yonkova P, Simeonova G, Vachkova E. Horse serum potentiates cellular viability and improves indomethacin-induced adipogenesis in equine subcutaneous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). Int J Vet Sci Med 2023;11(1):94-105.
- Petrova V, Vachkova E. Outlook of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells: Challenges to Their Clinical Application in Horses. Vet Sci 2023 May 12;10(5).
- Guo X, Huang D, Li D, Zou L, Lv H, Wang Y, Tan M. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells with hypoxic preconditioning improve tenogenic differentiation. J Orthop Surg Res 2022 Jan 28;17(1):49.
- Fitzgerald MJ, Mustapich T, Liang H, Larsen CG, Nellans KW, Grande DA. Tendon Transection Healing Can Be Improved With Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Cultured With Growth Differentiation Factor 5 and Platelet-Derived Growth Factor. Hand (N Y) 2023 May;18(3):436-445.
- Bianchi E, Ruggeri M, Rossi S, Vigani B, Miele D, Bonferoni MC, Sandri G, Ferrari F. Innovative Strategies in Tendon Tissue Engineering. Pharmaceutics 2021 Jan 11;13(1).
- Norelli JB, Plaza DP, Stal DN, Varghese AM, Liang H, Grande DA. Tenogenically differentiated adipose-derived stem cells are effective in Achilles tendon repair in vivo. J Tissue Eng 2018 Jan-Dec;9:2041731418811183.
- Eydt C, Geburek F, Schröck C, Hambruch N, Rohn K, Pfarrer C, Staszyk C. Sternal bone marrow derived equine multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs): investigations considering the sampling site and the use of different culture media. Vet Med Sci 2016 Aug;2(3):200-210.
- Al-Ani MKh, Xu K, Sun Y, Pan L, Xu Z, Yang L. Study of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal and Tendon-Derived Stem Cells Transplantation on the Regenerating Effect of Achilles Tendon Ruptures in Rats. Stem Cells Int 2015;2015:984146.
- Qu F, Zhao Z, Yuan B, Qi W, Li C, Shen X, Liu C, Li H, Zhao G, Wang J, Guo Q, Liu Y. CaMKII plays a part in the chondrogenesis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Int J Clin Exp Pathol 2015;8(5):5981-7.
- Arnhold S, Wenisch S. Adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells for musculoskeletal repair in veterinary medicine. Am J Stem Cells 2015;4(1):1-12.
- Williamson KA, Lee KJ, Humphreys WJ, Comerford EJ, Clegg PD, Canty-Laird EG. Restricted differentiation potential of progenitor cell populations obtained from the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). J Orthop Res 2015 Jun;33(6):849-58.
- Martino NA, Reshkin SJ, Ciani E, Dell'Aquila ME. Calcium-sensing receptor-mediated osteogenic and early-stage neurogenic differentiation in umbilical cord matrix mesenchymal stem cells from a large animal model. PLoS One 2014;9(11):e111533.
- Campbell ML. The role of veterinarians in equestrian sport: a comparative review of ethical issues surrounding human and equine sports medicine. Vet J 2013 Sep;197(3):535-40.
- Morawska-Kozłowska M, Pitas M, Zhalniarovich Y. Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Veterinary Medicine-Still Untapped Potential. Animals (Basel) 2025 Apr 19;15(8).
- Taguchi T, Lopez M, Takawira C. Viable tendon neotissue from adult adipose-derived multipotent stromal cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023;11:1290693.
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