1. Investigación

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common articular disease in adults and has a current prevalence of 12% in the population over 65 years old. This chronic disease causes damage to articular cartilage and synovial joints, causing pain and leading to a negative impact on patients’ function, decreasing quality of life. There are many limitations regarding OA conventional therapies—pharmacological therapy can cause gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiac adverse effects, and some of them could even be a threat to life. On the other hand, surgical options, such as microfracture, have been used for the last 20 years, but hyaline cartilage has a limited regeneration capacity. In recent years, the interest in new therapies, such as cell-based and cell-free therapies, has been considerably increasing. The purpose of this review is to describe and compare bioregenerative therapies’ efficacy for OA, with particular emphasis on the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP). In OA, these therapies might be an alternative and less invasive treatment than surgery, and a more effective option than conventional therapies.

Traditionally, canine degenerative lumbosacral stenosis (DLS) has been defined as a multifactorial syndrome characterized by lumbosacral pain triggered by the compression of the nerve rootlets of the cauda equina. There is still no consensus on the treatment of this condition, probably because there are a plethora of possible causes. In addition to compression, inflammation is a very important factor in the physiopathology of the disorder. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) consists of an increased concentration of autologous platelets suspended in a small amount of plasma. Platelets are a source of several growth factors. Growth factors were shown to help in wound healing and biological processes, such as chemotaxis, neovascularization and synthesis of extracellular matrix, and growth factors were used to improve soft tissue healing and bone regeneration. PRP also facilitates the restoration of the structural integrity of the affected anatomy. Fourteen dogs diagnosed with DLS were treated with three epidural injections of PRP on days 0, 15 and 45. All dogs showed clinical improvement 3 months after the initial treatment. Gait was also objectively assessed by means of the use of force platform analysis before and after treatment, showing significant improvement. The results show that PRP may provide a good alternative to other nonsurgical treatments, such as prednisolone epidural injection.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most significant joint diseases worldwide. There are di erent therapies for OA treatment, and a relatively new strategy is the use of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), a platelet rich plasma (PRP) derivative. The objective of this study was to objectively assess the e cacy and duration of the e ect of an intraarticular injection of PRGF and a combination of PRGF + physical therapy. The objective assessment was provided using a force platform. The obtained parameters were peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse (VI). A total of 24 dogs with lameness and pain associated to OA attributable to bilateral hip dysplasia were included in the study. Animals were divided into two study groups and evaluated at baseline and at 30, 90, and 180 days after intraarticular PRGF or PRGF + physical therapy. Significant di erences were observed at every checkpoint with respect to basal time in both groups. However, after 180 days, the PRGF group showed a decrease in PVF and VI with respect to the values obtained at 90 days. However, the PRGF + physical therapy group maintained increased values of both PVF and VI values during the 180-day study period.

The role of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in promoting the healing of bone fractures has notyet been clearly stated. The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness ofplasma rich in growth factors (PRGF, a PRP derivate) in the treatment of naturally-occurring bonefractures in dogs. With this objective, sixty-five dogs with radius/ulna or tibia/fibula bone fractureswere randomly divided into two groups (PRGF and saline solution (SS) groups) and checked atdays 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 60, 63, 70, 120, and 180. All the fractures were treated with anexternal skeletal fixation, and pain was controlled with Carprofen. Healing was evaluated by physicalexamination, limb function, radiography, and by a Likert-type owner satisfaction questionnaire.A faster fracture healing was observed in the PRGF group, with statistically significant differenceswith respect to the SS group. Swelling at the fracture site was significantly greater at day 14 and28 in animals injected with PRGF, and more pain on palpation was found in the area at day 28.The injection of PRGF in acute bone fractures accelerates bone healing.

To assess the biomechanical effects of intra-tendinous injections of PRGF on the healing Achilles tendon after repair in a sheep model. Thirty sheep were randomly assigned into one of the six groups depending on the type of treatment 10 received (PRGF or placebo) and survival time (2, 4 and 8 weeks). The Achilles tendon injury was repaired by suturing the tendinous edges employing a three-loop pulley pattern. A trans-articular external fixation system was then used for immobilization. The PRGF or placebo was administered on a weekly basis completing a maximum of 3 infiltrations. The force, section and tension values were compared between the operated and healthy Achilles tendons across all groups. The PRGF-treated tendons had higher force at eight weeks compared with the placebo group (p=0.007). Between two and four weeks, a significant increase in force in both the PRGF-treated tendon (p=0.0027) and placebo group (p=0.0095) occurred. No significant differences were found for section ratio between PRGF-treated tendons and the placebo group for any of the time periods evaluated. At 2 weeks PRGF-treated tendons had higher tension ratio compared to placebo group tendons (p=0.0143). Both PRGF and placebo treatments significantly improved the force (p<0.001 and p=0.0095, respectively) and tension (p=0.009 and p=0.0039, respectively) ratios at 8 compared to 2 weeks. The application of PRGF increases Achilles tendon repair strength at 8 weeks compared to the use of placebo. The use of PRGF does not modify section and tension ratios compared to placebo at 8 weeks. The tension ratio progressively increases between two and eight weeks compared with the placebo. PRGF can be used in the clinical setting as a complementary therapy to improve the repair strength of acute Achilles tendon ruptures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of serum type II collagen cleavage epitope and serum hyaluronic acid as biomarkers for treatment monitoring in osteoarthritic dogs. For this purpose, a treatment model based on mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue combined with plasma rich in growth factors was used. This clinical study included 10 dogs with hip osteoarthritis. Both analytes were measured in serum at baseline, just before applying the treatment, and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. These results were compared with those obtained from force plate analysis using the same animals during the same study period. Levels of type II collagen cleavage epitope decreased and those of hyaluronic acid increased with clinical improvement objectively verified via force plate analysis, suggesting these two biomarkers could be effective as indicators of clinical development of joint disease in dogs.

The aim of this study was to assess the static posturography in dogs as a useful tool for diagnosis of lameness by means of the use of a pressure platform. For this purpose, a series of different parameters (pressure distribution, area of support, mean pressure, maximum pressure and statokinesiograms) were obtained from five lame dogs with unilateral elbow osteoarthritis treated with plasma rich in growth factors. Data were obtained before and 3 months after treatment, and results were compared with a control group of sound dogs of similar conformation. Significant differences were found in the above mentioned parameters between sound and lame limbs. Improvement after 3 months of treatment was also detected, demonstrating that this multi-parametric technique is an effective and reliable method for the assessment of lameness in dogs.

Background: Regenerative medicine using Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) alone or combined with Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) is a rapidly growing area of clinical research and is currently also being used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Force platform analysis has been consistently used to verify and quantify the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies for the treatment of OA in dogs including MSC associated to PRGF, but never with AD-MSC alone. The aim of this study was to use a force platform to measure the efficacy of intraarticular ADMSC administration for limb function improvement in dogs with severe OA. Results: Ten lame dogs with severe hip OA and a control group of 5 sound dogs were used for this study. Results were statistically analyzed to detect a significant increase in peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse (VI) in treated dogs. Mean values of PVF and VI were significantly improved within the first three months post-treatment in the OA group, increasing 9% and 2.5% body weight, respectively, at day 30. After this, the effect seems to decrease reaching initial values. Conclusion: Intraarticular ADMSC therapy objectively improved limb function in dogs with hip OA. The duration of maximal effect was less than 3 months.

Background: Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy in regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing area of research and is currently also being used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Force platform analysis has been consistently used to verify the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies for the treatment of OA in dogs, but never with AD-MSC. The aim of this study was to use a force platform to measure the efficacy of intraarticular ADMSC administration for limb function improvement in dogs with severe OA. Results: Eight lame dogs with severe hip OA and a control group of 5 sound dogs were used for this study. Results were statistically analyzed to detect a significant increase in peak vertical force (PVF) and vertical impulse (VI) in treated dogs. Mean values of PVF and VI were significantly improved after treatment of the OA groups, reaching 53.02% and 14.84% of body weight, respectively, at day 180, compared with only 43.56% and 12.16% at day 0. Conclusion: This study objectively demonstrated that intraarticular ADMSC therapy resulted in reduced lameness due to OA.

A potential relationship between an increased risk of cancer and increased levels of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and presence of cancer and high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) has been previously reported. This study evaluated the influence of a single intramuscular injection of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) on serum concentrations of IGF-1 and CRP in dogs. Two groups of eight healthy beagles were injected with two different doses of PRGF in lumbar muscles. For each treatment, IGF-1 and CRP were analysed from blood samples obtained at baseline and the following three days post injection. No differences were found when IGF-1 and CRP were compared among times in the two protocols. Local application of PRGF at clinical doses did not cause significant changes in systemic concentrations of IGF-1 or detectable inflammation.