Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy improves chronic anaemia in a domestic feline with feline leukaemia virus: a promising case report

MARURI, ALEJANDRO; ERIKA ELEONORA IZETA MIÑO; GABRIELA DESPUYS; A GOLDMAN; I FENOY

Jornada; 2DAS. JORNADAS INTERNACIONALES INCLIVET; 2022

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a retrovirus that significantly impacts domestic cats worldwide. FeLV can cause bone marrow suppression, leading to anaemia and increasing the risk of secondary infectious diseases. Immune-mediated bone marrow failure involves inefficient hematopoiesis, resulting from altered hematopoietic stem cells and abnormal interactions with stromal cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) play a crucial role in the bone marrow's hematopoietic niche, potentially influencing hematopoiesis and immune regulation. However, no documented cases of MSC use in myelodysplastic syndromes in cats with FeLV. In this case report, we describe the treatment with allogeneic MSC in a 4-year-old mixed-breed cat with chronic anaemia and a positive FeLV result (detected by PCR in the bone marrow). The patient had non-regenerative normocytic normochromic anaemia (hematocrit of 18% and haemoglobin level of 6 g/dL) and erythroid hypoplasia with hemophagocytosis due to a bone marrow response to an underlying viral disease. Previously, the patient had been treated with erythropoietin and prednisolone for a year and a half, and blood transfusions had been performed on several occasions while attempting to reduce the prednisolone dosage. In this context, we proposed an immunomodulatory cell therapy, which involved the transplantation of fresh allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the adipose tissue of a healthy donor. MSC were isolated, in vitro cultured and administered via intravenous and intraosseous infusion under sedation. As a result, the patient showed a favourable recovery, as reflected in monthly haematological evaluations indicating a progressive increase in hematocrit and haemoglobin values. After five months, prednisolone was discontinued, and the haematological values remained stable. At 17 months, the patient remained off corticosteroids and showed significant improvement, with a hematocrit of 38% and a haemoglobin level of 14.5 g/dL. Based on the immunomodulatory effects of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells, it is suggested that these cells may have modified the bone marrow microenvironment, leading to the normalization of hematopoiesis in this feline patient with chronic anaemia and FeLV. These findings open the door to future research and clinical applications of allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells in managing haematological disorders in cats and other species.