Encouraging Equine Tendon Stem Cell Research.

Encouraging Equine Tendon Stem Cell Research. Recent data from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) indicates that stem cell therapy for superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) injury can significantly reduce the rate of re-injury over a three year period compared to conventionally treated horses. Meanwhile, a study conducted by scientists at the RVC and the Japan Racing Association has produced encouraging preliminary results, lending further support for the use of bone marrow derived stem cells in the treatment of equine tendon injuries.  The JRA collaboration analysed the properties of tendon injuries treated with stem cells. Early outcome measurements to determine SDFT stiffness have indicated that stem cell treated tendons show greater elasticity than those treated with a placebo.  The tendons treated with stem cells also showed more normal cellularity, vascularity and organisation on blind scored assessments. The most frequently injured tendon in the horse is the SDFT. With conventional treatment the tendon will heal with a fibrous scar which impairs its elasticity.

This results in reduced performance and a substantial risk of re-injury. Professor Roger Smith MA VetMB PhD DEO DipECVS MRCVS, Professor of Equine Orthopaedics at The Royal Veterinary College explains: "We hypothesised that the implantation of bone marrow-derived stromal stem cells (BM-MSCs), in far greater numbers than are present normally within tendon tissue, would synthesise a matrix more closely resembling tendon matrix than scar tissue, and hence increase the capacity for the horse to return to performance successfully."

The most recent data, which studied 168 national hunt horses in the UK, identified that the re-injury rate, following stem cell therapy for SDFT injury and return to full work, in the three years following treatment is 24%. In contrast, 56% of horses that have undergone traditional treatments for tendon damage are reported to have injured the tendon again after returning to work.

The horses included in the follow-up study had suffered moderate to severe SDFT injuries no more than four weeks before receiving the stem cell treatment. Horses were sedated but remained standing while the bone marrow was aspirated from the sternum. The stem cells were isolated and expanded to more than ten million cells before being re-suspended in growth factor rich bone marrow supernatant. They were then implanted into the injured SDFT under ultrasonographic guidance. The horses then entered a 48 week rehabilitation period during which they followed an ascending exercise regime.

Professor Smith concludes: "Although the follow up data does not provide definitive proof, careful evaluation of the most relevant outcome measures provides encouraging aspects to the use of this technology to treat tendon disease. It is also extremely encouraging that the initial results from the collaborative study appear to be substantiating the critical tendon elasticity hypothesis."

For further information see:  http://www.vetcell.com

Reproduced with kind permission of Mark Andrews BVM&S CertEP MRCVS
© Copyright Mark Andrews  - Equine Science Update 2008

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