The Advantages of Autologus Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AdMSCs) over the Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Application for Degenerative Elbow Joint Disease Treatment in Dogs - Twelve Cases

In the present study based on clinical case reports, twelve dogs (7 males, 5 females) between the ages of 5 and 11 years old, with clinically diagnosed osteoarthritis of the elbow joint were undertaken for comparison of the therapeutic effect derived from the standard non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAIDs) treatment with novel, autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (AdMSCs) application. Animals were not under any treatment for 3 last months before the diagnosis. Individuals from experimental group were treated with autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, while individuals from control group received Mavacoxib (Trocoxil). After 0, 60, 90 and 180 days of the treatment, all individuals were clinically evaluated. Additionally, examination of synovial fluid from all of the animals was performed after 0, 60, 90 and 180 days. The CT analysis were performed at day 0 and 180 days after the treatment. The AdMSCs therapy in the case of elbow joint degeneration (OA) decreased the discomfort and reduced accompanying clinical symptoms like pain, stiffness when walking and lameness. In contrast, though the animals from control group showed the improvement during first period of experiment, the OA symptoms reoccurred 90 days after the application of NSAIDs. This work is the first report that not only describes the picture of clinical examination, but is also based on synovial fluid analysis and CT evaluation. The injections of autologous stem cells did not exhibit any adverse reactions, which confirms the safety of this method. Our research confirmed the efficiency of AdMSC injections for the treatment of elbow joint osteoarthritis in dogs, which improve the clinical picture and the patients' condition, however without the regresses of osteofites.