Sustained generation of tissue dendritic cells from cats using organ stromal cell cultures

In vitro comparison of feline bone marrow-derived and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are increasingly being proposed as a therapeutic option for a variety of different diseases in human and veterinary medicine. At present, MSC are most often collected from bone marrow (BM) or adipose tissue (AT) and enriched and expanded in vitro before being transferred into recipients. However, little is known regarding the culture characteristics of feline BM-derived (BM-MSC) versus AT-derived MSC (AT-MSC). We compared BM-MSC and AT-MSC from healthy cats with respect to in vitro growth and cell surface phenotype. Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from AT proliferated significantly faster than BM-MSC. Phenotypic differences between BM-MSC and AT-MSC were not present in the surface markers assessed. We conclude that BM-MSC and AT-MSC are similar phenotypically but that cultures of AT-MSC are easier to generate because of their higher intrinsic proliferative rate. Thus, AT-MSC may be the preferred MSC for clinical applications where rapid and efficient generation of MSC is important.

Evaluation of intrarenal mesenchymal stem cell injection for treatment of chronic kidney disease in cats: a pilot study

The feasibility of autologous intrarenal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) was investigated. Six cats (two healthy, four with CKD) received a single unilateral intrarenal injection of autologous bone marrow-derived or adipose tissue-derived MSC (bmMSC or aMSC) via ultrasound guidance. Minimum database and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) via nuclear scintigraphy were determined pre-injection, at 7 days and at 30 days post-injection. Intrarenal injection did not induce immediate or long-term adverse effects. Two cats with CKD that received aMSC experienced modest improvement in GFR and a mild decrease in serum creatinine concentration. Despite the possible benefits of intrarenal MSC injections for CKD cats, the number of sedations and interventions required to implement this approach would likely preclude widespread clinical application. We concluded that MSC could be transferred safely by ultrasound-guided intrarenal injection in cats, but that alternative sources and routes of MSC therapy should be investigated.

Utilizing the FIV model to understand dendritic cell dysfunction and the potential role of dendritic cell immunization in HIV infection

Dendritic cells (DC) are potent antigen presenting cells which initiate and coordinate the immune response making them central targets of and attractive candidates for manipulation in chronic lentiviral infections. Emerging evidence suggests that DC immune function is disrupted during both acute and chronic infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Despite some early promising data, the use of DC for lentiviral immunotherapy has not fulfilled its expected potential and has been complicated by the large number of variables involved in DC harvesting, purifying, and antigen loading. Pre-clinical studies aimed at identifying successful strategies for DC augmentation of current HIV treatment protocols are needed. Over the past two decades, the FIV model for HIV infection has increased the understanding of retroviral pathogenesis, and studies have begun using the FIV model to study DC dysfunction and DC-mediated immunotherapy. Careful consideration of the many variables involved in DC function and therapy should help develop protocols to explore the potential of DC vaccine-based therapies for lentiviral infection.