Post-thaw non-cultured and post-thaw cultured equine cord blood mesenchymal stromal cells equally suppress lymphocyte proliferation in vitro.
Authors: Williams Lynn B, Tessier Laurence, Koenig Judith B, Koch Thomas G
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from equine cord blood are increasingly valued for their immunomodulatory properties rather than their regenerative capacity, making cryopreservation a practical option for long-term banking of these therapeutic cells. Williams and colleagues investigated whether the characteristic lag-phase in cell proliferation following thawing affects the immunosuppressive function of frozen cord blood MSCs by comparing lymphocyte suppression in mixed lymphocyte reaction assays between cells used immediately post-thaw and those cultured for five days after thawing. Using MSCs from five unrelated foals, they found no significant difference in lymphocyte proliferation suppression between the two conditions (p<0.0001), with negligible inter-donor variability (p=0.13), indicating that immunomodulatory capacity is retained regardless of post-thaw culture time. These findings have considerable practical implications: practitioners could utilise cryopreserved cord blood MSCs directly upon thawing without requiring cell culture facilities or expertise, substantially lowering the technical and infrastructure barriers to clinical application. This opens possibilities for third-party distribution of banked cells to equine clinics and field practitioners, potentially democratising access to MSC-based therapies for conditions such as tendinopathy, ligament injury and inflammatory joint disease.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Cryopreserved cord blood MSC can be used clinically immediately upon thawing without requiring post-thaw culture, simplifying clinical application protocols
- •Off-site use of cryopreserved MSC becomes feasible since cell culture equipment and expertise are not required before administration
- •Consistent immunomodulatory effects across different foal donors suggest predictable therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine applications
Key Findings
- •Cryopreserved equine cord blood MSC suppressed lymphocyte proliferation equally whether used immediately post-thaw or after 5 days of culture (p<0.0001)
- •No inter-donor variability in lymphocyte suppressive properties between MSC from five different foal donors (p=0.13)
- •Post-thaw lag-phase in MSC proliferation does not impair immunomodulatory function in vitro