Equine umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells demonstrate safety and efficacy in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for xenogeneic use with intra-articular administration in dogs with osteoarthritis. ANIMALS 80 client-owned dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis in elbow or hip. PROCEDURES A multicentric, double-blinded, parallel, randomized and placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed. After intraarticular injection of equine umbilical cord MSCs, dogs were reexamined at weeks 4, 8, and 12 using a force platform (gait analysis), orthopedic assessment, and validated owner questionnaire. Eighteen months after treatment, a long-term follow-up was done. RESULTS Best results were obtained 8 weeks after treatment, where 63% of the patients showed an improvement in the gait analysis. Also 8 weeks after treatment, 77% of the dogs improved in the orthopedic examination; 65% of the owners considered that the treatment improved their pet’s quality of life 8 weeks after treatment. The long-term follow-up revealed that 59% of the owners observed a duration of effect longer than 6 months after a single intra-articular injection of equine umbilical cord MSCs. No systemic or permanent adverse events were detected at any time point. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of this study demonstrated the safety and efficacy of intra-articular administration of xenogeneic MSCs for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis.