The effects of therapeutic concentrations of gentamicin, amikacin and hyaluronic acid on cultured bone marrow-derived equine mesenchymal stem cells.
Authors: Bohannon L K, Owens S D, Walker N J, Carrade D D, Galuppo L D, Borjesson D L
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary When bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are injected intra-articularly, clinicians often add antimicrobials or hyaluronic acid to reduce infection risk and inflammation, yet the direct effects of these additives on cell viability and function remained unexplored. Bohannon and colleagues cultured equine BM-MSCs in vitro and exposed them to therapeutic concentrations of gentamicin, amikacin, and hyaluronic acid, then assessed cell viability, proliferation rates, and phenotypic characteristics across multiple time points. Both aminoglycoside antibiotics—gentamicin and amikacin—significantly reduced BM-MSC viability and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, whilst hyaluronic acid demonstrated no adverse effects on cell survival or function. These findings carry important implications for practitioners: prophylactic antimicrobial co-injection may inadvertently compromise the therapeutic potential of BM-MSC therapies, suggesting that alternative infection-prevention strategies (such as meticulous aseptic technique or post-injection antimicrobial administration) warrant consideration, whereas hyaluronic acid appears safe for concurrent delivery with stem cell preparations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •If considering co-injection of antimicrobials with stem cell therapy in joints, verify that therapeutic concentrations do not impair stem cell viability or function in vitro
- •Hyaluronic acid is commonly used with joint injections; this study provides baseline data on whether it affects stem cell therapy efficacy
- •Prophylactic antimicrobial use with intra-articular BM-MSC injections requires safety validation to prevent iatrogenic cell damage
Key Findings
- •Study investigated effects of gentamicin, amikacin, and hyaluronic acid on cultured equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells
- •Research addresses safety concerns of prophylactic co-injection of antimicrobials or hyaluronic acid with BM-MSCs for intra-articular use
- •In vitro cell culture model used to evaluate potential toxicity of therapeutic-concentration antimicrobials and hyaluronic acid on BM-MSCs