Comparison of Fat Harvested from Flank and Falciform Regions for Stem Cell Therapy in Dogs

Background: Adipose tissue has recently gained attention as a source of mesenchymal stem cells (AdMSCs) for applications in treating degenerative joint disease in veterinary patients. This study aimed to quantify the stromal vascular fractions (SVFs) and colony forming units (CFU) of AdMSCs from the falciform and flank regions and compare dogs of different ages and weights.

Methods: Fat tissue was harvested from the flank (21 dogs) and falciform regions (17 dogs). The fat tissue was enzymatically digested and the number of nucleated cells in the SVF was counted. The SVF was cultured in vitro and the cell growth was assessed by counting the CFU per gram of fat and the aspect ratio of the cells.

Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the number of nucleated cells in the SVF from the two sites. The CFU/g of fat from falciform was 378.9 ± 293 g and from flank was 486.8 ± 517 g, and this was also insignificant. Neither age nor weight of the patient had an impact on the SVF or CFU/g. No surgical complications were reported from either of the sites. Harvesting fat for stem cell therapy for intra-articular therapy of degenerative joint disease can be an easy and fast process when obtaining the fat either from the flank or the falciform region, and it is not age or weight dependent. The harvest site for clinical canine patients can be left to the surgeon's discretion and comfort.