Donor age effects on in vitro chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation performance of equine bone marrow- and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.
Authors: Bagge Jasmin, Berg Lise Charlotte, Janes Jennifer, MacLeod James N
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary Mesenchymal stromal cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue are increasingly used in equine practice to treat cartilage and bone injuries, yet evidence from human and rodent studies suggests their regenerative capacity declines substantially with advancing age—a concern given that many orthopedic patients are middle-aged or older. Bagge and colleagues investigated whether equine MSCs show similar age-related deterioration by isolating cells from horses across five age categories (newborns through geriatric animals ≥22 years) and measuring their ability to differentiate into chondrocytes and osteocytes through quantitative assessment of matrix production, enzyme activity, calcium deposition, and expression of tissue-specific biomarkers. Notably, equine bone marrow and adipose-derived MSCs demonstrated remarkably stable chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation capacity across all age groups, contrasting sharply with the documented decline in human and rodent models. These findings suggest that older horses may be suitable candidates for MSC-based therapies without the age-related performance penalties observed in other species, potentially improving treatment outcomes for geriatric patients with cartilage or bone pathology, though factors such as cell proliferation rates and inflammatory microenvironment warrant further investigation.
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Practical Takeaways
- •For older horses requiring MSC-based regenerative therapy, consider using adipose tissue-derived MSCs rather than bone marrow-derived cells, as they maintain better differentiation capacity with age
- •Clinicians treating geriatric horses with orthopedic injuries should be aware that cell-based therapies using BM-MSCs may be less effective than in younger horses and should adjust expectations accordingly
- •Cell source selection (adipose vs. bone marrow) becomes increasingly important in older patients; AT-MSCs offer a more reliable therapeutic option across the lifespan
Key Findings
- •Chondrogenic differentiation potential of BM-MSCs declined significantly with increasing donor age, particularly in geriatric horses (≥22 years)
- •AT-MSCs maintained relatively stable chondrogenic performance across age groups compared to BM-MSCs
- •Osteogenic differentiation showed age-related decline in BM-MSCs but AT-MSCs demonstrated more consistent performance across age groups
- •Older horses (middle-aged and geriatric) showed reduced matrix proteoglycan levels and altered cartilage biomarker gene expression in BM-derived cell cultures