Mesenchymal Stem Cell Studies in the Goat Model for Biomedical Research—A Review of the Scientific Literature

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells, defined by their ability to self-renew, while maintaining the capacity to differentiate into different cellular lineages, presumably from their own germinal layer. MSCs therapy is based on its anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and regenerative potential. Firstly, they can differentiate into the target cell type, allowing them to regenerate the damaged area. Secondly, they have a great immunomodulatory capacity through paracrine effects (by secreting several cytokines and growth factors to adjacent cells) and by cell-to-cell contact, leading to vascularization, cellular proliferation in wounded tissues, and reducing inflammation. Currently, MSCs are being widely investigated for numerous tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Appropriate animal models are crucial for the development and evaluation of regenerative medicine-based treatments and eventual treatments for debilitating diseases with the hope of application in upcoming human clinical trials. Here, we summarize the latest research focused on studying the biological and therapeutic potential of MSCs in the goat model, namely in the fields of orthopedics, dermatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, pneumology, cardiology, and urology fields.

Bone Regeneration in a Large Animal Model Featuring a Modular Off‐the‐Shelf Soft Callus Mimetic

“…[ 9–12 ] In the present study, we selected goats owing to their similarity in bone tissue macro‐ and microstructure and composition. [ 12–16 ] Further, bone remodeling rates and sequence of events during bone graft incorporation in goats are more comparable to humans than to small animals. [ 17–19 ] For the model, we chose a bilateral iliac wing defect as it is a reproducible model which allows for convenient evaluation of a critical‐sized bone defect with a volume in the range of cubic centimeters.…”

Apoptosis in Postmortal Tissues of Goat Spinal Cords and Survival of Resident Neural Progenitors

“…Our animal model has substantial differences with humans when comes to genetical, behavioral or physiological features. Yet, we see our choice of goats advantageous over rodent models when considering similarities in organ size, metabolic rate, lifespan, and clinical procedures [10]. Although genome sequences and gene manipulation tools are now available for goats, there are no gene expression validation panels available for characterizing stem cells in this animal.…”

“…Large, domesticated animals come as models of choice when surgical techniques or large-scale cell harvesting is employed. We chose goats as our model due to their availability, anatomical similarities to humans, long lifespan, and the growing interest in using this model for stem cell research [10]. Even widely employed MSC-based products suffer from a lack of standardization among tissue sources and species [11]; regarding neural stem/progenitor cells, such concerns are also of crucial importance.…”

Comprehensive assessment of goat adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells cultured in different media

“…There has been growing interest in MSCs derived from goats due to their potential applications in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and disease modelling 17 , 18 . Goats are valuable large animal models for human diseases and serve to bridge the gap between small animal studies and clinical trials 18 .…”