|
StemCell Therapy byMadalyn Ward, DVM Stemcells and stem cell therapy have received a lot of news coveragelately, some of it controversial, so this month I've decided todiscuss stem cells in general, along with several approaches to stemcell therapy. The stem cell therapies I advocate are both legal andsimple, especially with the advent of a new nutritional productcalled Stemplex, which I'll discuss a little later. But first, alittle about the stem cell itself... EmbryonicVersus Adult Stem Cells Astem cell is an undifferentiated cell that can renew itself anddevelop into at least three different types of tissue. Embryonic stemcells are derived from early stage embryos and have the ability todifferentiate into all adult cell types. Embryonic stem cells behavein a consistent way under a microscope but are much less predictablewhen injected into the body. They can offer some benefits forresearch but their use is controversial and they are not useful foractual treatments. Adultstem cells reside in post-fetal animals. Examples arelinage-committed such as hematopoietic stem cells that become red orwhite blood cells, or mesenchymal stem cells that can become manytypes of tissue, including bone, tendon, ligament, cartilage, heart,liver, or nerves. Sources of adult stem cells include bone marrow,fat, brain tissue, and muscles. Of all the tissues, fat yields thelargest numbers of mesenchymal stem cells, while bone marrow orumbilical blood yield more stem cells that will become red or whiteblood cells. Typesof Stem Cells Thereare several different categories of stem cells, including autologous,allogenic, and xenogenic. Autologous stem cells are those derivedfrom the same animal. These are best for transplanting since there isno concern about them being rejected. Allogenic stem cells are from adonor of the same species. Since stem cells do not have the standardcell surface markers that would trigger immune response, these cellscan potentially be used without fear of rejection by the host tissue.Xenogenic stem cells come from a donor of another species, such as apig. Although one would expect these cells to be rejected, because oftheir unique characteristics they can survive, in some cases, wheninjected into the body of another species. HowDo Stem Cells Work? Themost commonly cited function of stem cells is their ability todifferentiate into different tissues but they also have otherabilities that can be very beneficial for healing. Stem cells produceover 30 types of growth factors and tissue chemicals that stimulatehealing. Stem cells help recruit other local and systemic stem cellsto focus on repairing damaged tissue. They are also active in immunemodulation to promote or suppress T-cell function. Stemcells are triggered to move into an area by signals from the tissuebased on chemical, neural, and mechanical changes. Hypoxia, which islack of oxygen, and inflammation are strong triggers for stem cellsto target an injury, although the stems cells account for less thanhalf of the new tissue formed. The rest of the repair is done byother cells recruited and managed by the initial stem cells. This iswhy very tiny injections of stem cells are used. Injecting largernumbers of stem cells into an injured area can actually interferewith healing, since some of the injected cells die and must beremoved during the healing process. Underideal conditions stem cells would respond to injuries and healingwould occur. Factors that affect stem cell response include the ageof the animal, the fitness of the animal, and the level of freeradicals in the body. Free radicals damage all cells, including stemcells. StemCell Therapy in Horses Inhorses the repair of ligament injuries has shown the most promise.Injuries to the ligaments in a horse's lower leg are notoriouslydifficult to heal. Stem cells harvested from the injured horse's ownfat can be injected directly into the area of ligament damage tostimulate healing with less scarring, which decreases the chance ofre-injury. In some cases bone marrow is harvested, but this tissuemust be cultured to increase the numbers of mesenchymal stem cells. Anotherpromising stem cell therapy is based on increasing the numbers andactivity of the animal's own stem cells using nutrition. Just asscientists discovered that beta glucan is a nutrient that stimulatesthe white blood cells called macrophages, researchers have nowidentified nutrients that stimulate and cause the proliferation ofstem cells. Based on this research, Simplexity Health has developed aproduct called Stemplex (TM) that contains green tea extract, wildblueberry, the amino acid carnosine, blueberry extract, vitamin D,and blue-green algae. I have been using this product on my own horse,who has chronically contracted and sore heels. Within just a month Iam seeing improvement in his gait. Stemcell therapy has huge potential and should be considered as a healingtreatment for injuries or organ damage. In addition, systemic stemcell therapy shows promise in treating neurological conditions.Providing nutritional support for the body's own stem cells is alwaysa good option, which can be supplemented by using targeted injectionsof harvested stem cells. These injections are especially useful whennutritional support does not create enough healing effect or theinjured area, such as ligaments in a horse's lower leg, has poorcirculation. |
| Pets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||
