Table 2.
A collection of selected papers describing the use of MSCs in the treatment of injuries of the tendo-ligamentous apparatus in animals. Abbreviations: CrCl —cranial cruciate ligament, BM-MSCs—bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, BMAC—bone marrow aspirate concentrate, AD-MSCs—adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells, ADPC—adipose-derived progenitor cells, PRP —platelet rich plasma, SL—suspensory ligament, SDFT—superficial digital flexor tendon, PBS —phosphate buffered saline.
| Disease | Cell therapy and Type of Injection | Species | Number of Test Animals | Control Group | Number of Control Animals | Observation Period | Effect of Therapy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrCL partial rupture [104] | autologous BMAC, ADPC with the addition of PRP, single intraarticular injection | dog | 36 (19 dogs received BM-MSCs and 17 AD-MSCs) | lack | 0 | 90 d | Promising clinical use of tissue-engineered products were observed. |
| Supraspinatus tendinopathy [106] | autologous BM-MSCs with PRP 1:1 ratio, ultrasound-guided single intratendionous injection | dog | 41 | lack | 0 | 45, 90 d | Posttreatment ultrasound examination showed improvement in the structure of the tendon. |
| Supraspinatus tendinopathy [107] | autologous AD-MSCs 5 × 106 cells/mL with PRP, ultrasound-guided single intratendinous injection | dog | 55 | lack | 0 | 30, 60, 90 d | The applied MSCs therapy seems to be promising in comparison to conservative treatment. |
| SL and SDFT lesion [103] | allogeneic PB-MSCs 2–3 × 106 cells with PRP, ultrasound-guided single intralesional injection | horse | 104 (SL lesion in 68 individuals and SDFT in 36 individuals) | lack | 0 | 6, 12 w, another survey 12 and 24 m after treatment | Positive therapeutic outcome of applied therapy. |
| SDFT lesion [108] | AD-MSCs 10 × 106 cells with platelet concentrate, ultrasound-guided intralesional injection | horse | 4 | yes, PBS was used in the control group | 4 | every 2 weeks up to 16 w | Positive therapeutic outcome of applied therapy. |
| SDFT tendinopathy [31] | autologous BM-MSCs 10 × 106 cells, ultrasound-guided intralesional injection | horse | 141 | lack | 0 | 2 y follow up | The study showed that MSCs implantation is safe and appears to reduce the risk of recurrent tendon injury. |
| SDFT lesion [109] | autologous BM-MSCs (range 0.6–31.2 × 106 cells), local or systemic injections | horse | 11 | yes | 15 | 1, 3, 6 m | In 9 out of 11 horses, a significant improvement in movement and structure of the injured tendon (USG) was observed. |
| SDFT moderate to marked lesions [131] | autologous BM-MSCs 10 × 106 cells, ultrasound-guided intra-tendinous injection | horse | 6 | yes, analogous injection of placebo (saline) | 6 | 6 m | Cell therapy with autologous MSCs brought significant benefits over untreated tendon injuries in the control group. |
| Surgically induced SDFT lesion [105] | autologous BM-MSCs 20 × 106 cells, AD-MSCs 20 × 106 cells or PRP, single ultrasound-guided intralesional injection | horse | 12 (24 tendons in the thoracic limbs were used for the study) | yes, 6 subjects received an injection directly into the tendon from the lactated Ringer | 6 subjects received an injection directly into the tendon from the lactated Ringer | 2, 6, 10, 20, 45 w | Favorable final effect was noticed in all groups of tested animals compared to the control group. |