Cell growth characteristics and differentiation frequency of adherent equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: adipogenic and osteogenic capacity.
Authors: Vidal Martin A, Kilroy Gail E, Johnson Jill R, Lopez Mandi J, Moore Rustin M, Gimble Jeffrey M
Journal: Veterinary surgery : VS
Summary
# Editorial Summary Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a promising autologous cell source for regenerative therapies in equine practice, yet their fundamental biological characteristics remained poorly documented in horses when this work was conducted. Researchers isolated MSCs from sternal bone marrow aspirates in foals and young horses, then characterised their growth kinetics across ten passages and quantified their capacity to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts using limiting dilution assays. Initial MSC isolates demonstrated a notably prolonged lag phase with a cell-doubling time of 4.9±1.6 days before stabilising to 1.4±0.22 days in subsequent passages; furthermore, approximately 1 in 4224 nucleated bone marrow cells exhibited fibroblast colony-forming activity, and critically, these cells maintained their multilineage differentiation potential throughout serial expansion. The consistency between equine MSC behaviour and that documented in other mammalian species validates the applicability of established protocols for cell expansion and differentiation in equine tissue engineering applications. These baseline data have direct implications for practitioners considering bone marrow as a cell source for regenerative medicine, particularly regarding optimal passage selection, expansion timelines, and the predictability of clinical outcomes in therapeutic applications for bone and soft tissue repair.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Bone marrow is a viable source for harvesting stem cells in horses for potential regenerative medicine applications in soft tissue and bone injuries
- •Cell expansion is feasible for clinical use, with improved growth rates after initial passages making therapeutic application more practical
- •The multilineage differentiation capacity demonstrated suggests MSCs could be directed toward specific tissue repair needs (bone vs. soft tissue)
Key Findings
- •Equine bone marrow MSCs showed initial lag phase with longer doubling time (4.9±1.6 days) that improved in subsequent passages (1.4±0.22 days)
- •Approximately 1 in 4,224 total nucleated bone marrow cells displayed fibroblast colony-forming activity
- •Primary MSCs successfully differentiated into both adipocytes and osteoblasts and maintained differentiation potential through multiple passages
- •Equine MSC characteristics are comparable to those of other mammalian species, supporting feasibility for tissue engineering applications