Mesenchymal stem cells in dogs with demyelinating leukoencephalitis as an experimental model of multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACT: Researchers have used dogs with neurological sequelae caused by distemper as an experimental model for multiple sclerosis, owing to the similarities of the neuropathological changes between distemper virus-induced demyelinating leukoencephalitis and multiple sclerosis in humans. However, little is known about the role of mesenchymal stem cells in treating such clinical conditions. Therefore, we investigated the use of mesenchymal stem cells in four dogs with neurological lesions caused by the distemper virus. During the first year after cellular therapy, the animals did not demonstrate significant changes in their locomotive abilities. However, the intense (Grade V) myoclonus in three animals was reduced to a moderate (Grade IV) level. At one year after the mesenchymal stem cell infusions,

SUBMITTER: Pinheiro LL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6556833 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature