Clinical application of mesenchymal stem cells in a dog with intervertebral disc disease

Abstract

A 5-year old, intact male, Cocker spaniel dog was referred with paraplegia and loss of deep pain perception. Physical, neurological examinations, radiography, and computed tomography were evaluated. Based on the clinical examinations, the dog was diagnosed with severe disc herniation (L2 to L3 intervertebral disc space). On the next day of presentation (6 days after loss of deep pain perception), hemilaminectomy was performed. After decompression of spinal cord and removal of herniated disc materials, 1 × 106 canine allogenic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) diluted by 50 μl saline were directly applied to the injured site of the spinal cord. Ten weeks of follow-up after surgery, full recovery of deep pain perception and motor function were evaluated in both hind limbs. Based on the result, we suggest that the transplantation of allogenic adipose tissue-derived MSCs to dogs with spinal cord injuries could be a considerable method to expect better clinical outcomes in veterinary practice.