Equine Stem Cell Therapy: The Future of Tendon Treatment …

Stem cell therapy is the use of cells derived from a different tissue to aid in regeneration of another through implantation. Stem Cells are young cells that have not yet become specialized to serve a specific purpose or perform a certain function.Technically stem cell could become any type of tissue in the body. Any given tissue must have specialized cells that can maintain, build, and function as needed. The process of cells becoming specialized to a specific tissue is called differentiation (Barrett). It is difficult to identify when cells have differentiated to tendon lineage due to absence of a definite tendon protein marker, like other tissue types, which would easily allow scientists to figure out how stem cells aid in tendon regeneration. Also, stem cells contain growth factors, which are growth stimuli that trigger cellular reproduction and may also serve a purpose in the healing process. Stem cells may also influence the already present cells to produce better quality tissue matrix, a process known as a paracrine effect (Smith 2008). Commercial companies are beginning to offer stem cell services, but critics argue that there is not enough evidence yet to support the benefits, and it is unclear how stem cells actually work. Dr.Wesley Sutter of the University of Kentucky stated that, the biggest challenge is that the availability and client acceptance and demand for them have far outpaced the scientific evidence of their efficacy. Stem cell companies and lay horse journals have done an excellent job marketing stem cells but the scientific evidence to support them is weak, (Sutter 2012). Through more in-depth research, it has been found that stem cells do in fact benefit the healing process, though it is unclear in what way, and which tissue provides the most efficient cell base. Despite the lack of evidence to directly support equine stem cell therapies, research supports using stem cells in the future to treat tendon overstrain injuries in horses, as well as humans, because of improved fiber structure and re-injury rate in treated horses.

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Equine Stem Cell Therapy: The Future of Tendon Treatment ...