Culture of equine intestinal epithelial stem cells after delayed tissue storage for future applications.
Authors: Stewart Amy Stieler, Schaaf Cecilia R, Veerasammy Brittany, Freund John M, Gonzalez Liara M
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Isolating and Culturing Equine Intestinal Stem Cells After Delayed Tissue Storage Regenerative therapies using equine intestinal stem cells hold genuine promise for treating severe intestinal injuries, yet practical barriers have limited their clinical application—particularly the immediate processing requirement of intestinal biopsies. Stieler and colleagues addressed this constraint by investigating whether equine intestinal stem cells could be successfully isolated and cultured from small intestinal biopsies stored at 4°C for extended periods, comparing fresh tissue processing against delayed storage at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-collection. The researchers cultured isolated crypts (stem cell units) into enteroids and evaluated their size, growth efficiency, and proliferation capacity across timepoints, whilst also examining whether cryopreserved crypts or enteroid fragments offered superior long-term preservation. The ability to culture functional stem cells from tissue stored up to 72 hours establishes a practical framework for building biopsy repositories, reducing the logistical constraints that currently prevent widespread adoption of stem cell banking protocols in equine practice. For veterinarians and rehabilitation professionals, this work validates delayed processing as a viable option, meaning diagnostic intestinal biopsies might simultaneously serve as starting material for future regenerative therapies, fundamentally changing how we approach both clinical investigation and potential treatment of intestinal disease in horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Intestinal biopsies can be collected at necropsy and stored for up to 72 hours before processing, enabling creation of tissue repositories for research and potential future cell therapies
- •Storage conditions and duration should be standardized when collecting biopsies for stem cell isolation to maintain cell viability and growth potential
- •Cryopreservation offers a practical solution for long-term storage of intestinal crypts, potentially enabling off-the-shelf availability of autologous or allogeneic stem cells for treating severe intestinal injury
Key Findings
- •Equine intestinal stem cells can be successfully isolated and cultured following delayed tissue storage at 4°C for up to 72 hours
- •Storage duration affects enteroid size, growth efficiency and proliferation potential in a time-dependent manner
- •Cryopreservation of intestinal crypts and enteroid fragments provides an alternative prolonged storage technique for future therapeutic applications