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Review
. 2018 Mar;20(3):208-216.
doi: 10.1177/1098612X18758590.

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in cats: Current knowledge and future potential

Jessica M Quimby  1 , Dori L Borjesson  2
Affiliations
Review

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in cats: Current knowledge and future potential

Jessica M Quimby et al. J Feline Med Surg. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Practical relevance: Stem cell therapy is an innovative field of scientific investigation with tremendous potential for clinical application in veterinary medicine. Based on the known desirable immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells, this therapy holds promise for the treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases in cats.

Aims: This review details our current understanding of feline stem cell biology and proposed mechanism of action. Studies performed in feline clinical trials for diseases including gingivostomatitis, chronic enteropathy, asthma and kidney disease are summarized, with the goal of providing an overview of the current status of this treatment modality and its potential for the future.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Feline mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in culture are plastic-adherent and display a typical fibroblast-like appearance
Figure 2
Figure 2
Feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) before (a) and after (b) administration of allogeneic adipose-derived MSCs (aMSCs). This castrated adult male domestic shorthair cat had a 2 year history of FCGS that was treated with intermittent ciclosporin therapy. Full mouth tooth extractions were performed 1.5 years prior to aMSC therapy. The cat received two doses of allogeneic aMSCs and had substantial clinical improvement within 6 months of therapy. It continued to be in remission at the time of writing 1.5 years later. Courtesy of Dr Boaz Arzi
Figure 3
Figure 3
Thin section CT images in cats with experimentally induced asthma, where white arrows and arrowheads show areas of increased lung attenuation and black arrows indicate areas of bronchial wall thickening: (a) MSC-treated cat during inhalation; (b) MSC-treated cat during exhalation; (c) untreated cat during inhalation; (d) untreated cat during exhalation.31 Airway remodeling, as represented by lung attenuation and bronchial wall thickening scores, was significantly decreased in MSC-treated cats at 9 months after five intravenous injections of allogeneic adipose-derived MSCs
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References

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