01856-A: Identifying the Best Source of Stem Cells for Treatment of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease

Grant Amount: $12,000

Mandi J. Lopez, DVM, PhD; Louisiana State University

October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013

Sponsor(s): American Bouvier des Flandres Club - Bouvier Health Foundation, Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America

Breed(s): Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Bernese Mountain Dog, Rottweiler, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Border Collie, Border Terrier, Akita, Chow Chow, German Wirehaired Pointer, Newfoundland, Australian Terrier, Bearded Collie, Bulldog, Great Pyrenees, Portuguese Water Dog, Labrador Retriever, Silky Terrier, Small Munsterlander Pointer, Standard Schnauzer

Research Program Area: Musculoskeletal Conditions and Disease

Project Summary

Tearing the cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL), analogous to the human anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), is a leading cause of disability in canine companions. The best way to restore CrCL function is to recreate the native structure. Tissue engineering with adult multipotent stromal (stem) cells (MSCs) makes it feasible to grow living transplants to replace tissues in the stifle (knee) joint, like the CrCL, that have damage or disease. Stem cells collected from tissues inside the joint are thought to "regrow" joint tissues better than those from tissues outside the joint. There are three sources of adult MSCs within the stifle (knee), adipose (fat), tissue lining the inside of the joint, and tissue that surrounds the CrCL. This proposal was designed to identify the best MSC source by comparing cells from the three different tissues. The results showed that the adipose tissue had the highest number of MSCs. The cells isolated from adipose tissue also grew faster in the laboratory. They also had a greater ability to turn into fat, bone and cartilage than the other cells. Finally, stem cells isolated from adipose tissue in the stifle maintained their stem cell qualities better and longer than the others when they were grown in the laboratory. These results show that cells from stifle adipose tissue are the best to use for joint tissue regeneration. They are pivotal to the future of tissue regeneration in canine companions.

Publication(s)

Duan, W., & Lopez, M. J. (2016). Effects of Cryopreservation on Canine Multipotent Stromal Cells from Subcutaneous and Infrapatellar Adipose Tissue. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 12(2), 257–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-015-9634-4

Zhang, N., Dietrich, M. A., & Lopez, M. J. (2013). Canine Intra-Articular Multipotent Stromal Cells (MSC) From Adipose Tissue Have the Highest In Vitro Expansion Rates, Multipotentiality, and MSC Immunophenotypes: Canine Intra-Articular Multipotent Stromal Cells. Veterinary Surgery, 42(2), 137–146. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950X.2013.01091.x