Clinical evaluation of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived stem cells for the treatment of osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia in dogs

Abstract

This study assessed the efficacy of an intra-articular injection of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived from mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) for the treatment of hip dysplasia in dogs. The study group included 12 otherwise healthy dogs of different breeds, ages, weights, and degrees of hip dysplasia diagnosed using radiography. An orthopedic assessment was performed on all dogs before and at 30, 60, and 90 days after infusion of AD-MSCs(2 × 106cells). On the same days, each dog’s owner answered a questionnaire based on theHelsinkiChronic Pain Index. The data were converted to ordinal data based on the score for each variable, and the Friedman test for multiple comparisons was used to verify the results. Compared with the corresponding values on day 0, orthopedic and gait assessments and owners’ reported pain indexes improved over the 90-day observation period. These results suggested that treatment with allogeneic AD-MSCs significantly reduced the clinical signs associated with hip dysplasia during the study period. However, long-term studies are needed to determine the optimal therapeutic protocol for routine clinical use of AD-MSCs in hip dysplasia.