Débora Gouveia, Jéssica Correia, Ana Cardoso, Carla Carvalho, Ana Catarina Oliveira, António Almeida, Óscar Gamboa, Lénio Ribeiro, Mariana Branquinho, Ana Sousa, Bruna Lopes, Patrícia Sousa, Alícia Moreira, André Coelho, Alexandra Rêma, Rui Alvites, António Ferreira, Ana Colette Maurício, Ângela Martins
INTRODUCTION: Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a neurodegenerative spinal cord disease with upper motor neurons, with progressive and chronic clinical signs, similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). DM has a complex etiology mainly associated with SOD1 gene mutation and its toxic role, with no specific treatment. Daily intensive rehabilitation showed survival time near 8 months but most animals are euthanized 6-12 months after clinical signs onset. METHODS: This prospective controlled blinded cohort clinical study aims to evaluate the neural regeneration response ability of DM dogs subjected to an intensive neurorehabilitation protocol with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation...
2023: Frontiers in Veterinary Science