Stem Cells From Umbilical Cords Can Help Ease Ache Of Equine Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is one of the most common issues equine veterinarians see. The progressive condition can lead to reduced athletic abilities and eventual retirement as the disease becomes more painful.

Slowing disease progression through management has been the main goal in treatment regimens. Working with their veterinarian, many owners of horses with osteoarthritis have utilized anti-inflammatories and pain-blocking medications to alleviate their horses' pain.

New treatment options have become available, including the use of umbilical-cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat osteoarthritis. Dr. Almudena Pradera-Munoz, chief scientific officer at EquiCord, in Madrid, Spain, gave a presentation on MSCs at the Equine Regenerative Medicine and Orthobiologics Summit, held Oct. 3-25, 2022.

MSCs are self-renewing stromal cells (cells that make up specific connective tissues) that can be isolated from fat, bone marrow, and the umbilical cord, to be placed in the affected joint. MSCs can stimulate the immune system and encourage healing in the cells of the animal into which they're injected.

According to Pradera-Munoz, the advantages to using umbilical-cord-derived MSCs are as follows:

Greater genetic stability: Umbilical-cord-derived MSCs are less likely to have chromosome mutations or abnormalities
Less chance of virus transmission: MSCs are collected at birth so are less likely to be contaminated by virus- and disease-causing bacteria
Less painful for the horse: Collecting umbilical-cord-derived MSCs is noninvasive
Greater proliferation during manufacturing

Pradera-Munoz recommends treating horses diagnosed with osteoarthritis as soon as possible with umbilical-cord-derived MSCs to encourage synovial regeneration. Though the MSCs will not regenerate tissue if the synovial cartilage is 50 percent or more destroyed, the horse may become less painful and have a better quality of life.