Advances in the Use of Stem Cells in Veterinary Medicine: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice

Figure 2

Cell therapy applications in veterinary medicine. Companion animals (pets), due to genetic factors, degenerative processes, and inadequate diet, and animals used in sports, such as running and jumping, are subject to several kinds of injuries, which may affect primarily the muscle tissue, causing pain, cartilage wear in joints and spinal disks, tendonitis, fractures, and bone degeneration. Clinical applications and protocols are based on the use of adult stem cells, isolated from fresh bone marrow or adipose tissue, or expanded from these tissues in laboratory. The derived cells, mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), have a high therapeutic capacity.