Feline stem cells

Webb TL, Quimby JM, Dow SW. In vitro comparison of feline bone marrow-derived and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells. J Feline Med Surg 2012;14:165-168.

Bone marrow derived stem cells

The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) is being evaluated as a treatment option for a number of different diseases. MSC can be derived from a variety of adult tissues, are fairly non-immunogenic, and their immunosuppressive properties may be of benefit in many immune and inflammatory disease processes. In cats, MSC are being proposed for use in chronic inflammatory or degenerative diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and osteoarthritis.

MSC are primarily collected from bone marrow (BM) or adipose tissue (AT) and are then enriched and enhanced before transfer into patients. This study looked at the growth properties and phenotype of feline BM-MSC and AT-MSC from four healthy, young donor cats. The results showed that mesenchymal stem cells isolated from AT proliferated significantly faster than BM-MSC. Also, it was noted that BM-MSC and AT-MSC were similar phenotypically. Therefore, MSC derived from adipose tissue may be the preferred choice for clinical applications when the need for rapid and efficient generation of MSC is important. [VT]
This project was partially supported by a grant from Winn.

Related articles: Quimby JM, Webb TL, Gibbons DS, et al. Evaluation of intrarenal mesenchymal stem cell injection for treatment of chronic kidney disease in cats: a pilot study. J Feline Med Surg 2011;13:418-426.

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