New Possibilities for Treatment of Feline Arthritis

【A report has been published on the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to improve quality of life in cats with osteoarthritis!!】

Evaluation of the quality of life-enhancing effect of allogeneic feline adipose mesenchymal stem cells in cats with osteoarthritis: A pilot study.
Mitani　K,　Ito　Y, Takene Y, Inaba T.
Research in Veterinary Science 182:105470 (2025)

Osteoarthritis in cats

  • Progressive degenerative disease affecting about 90% of older cats
  • Causes include cartilage degeneration due to aging, joint strain from obesity, traumatic joint instability, and genetic abnormalities in bone and cartilage formation
  • Joint pain, inability to climb high, loss of appetite, etc.

Issues in treatment to date

Rarely is it possible to provide highly satisfactory treatment to owners

    • Side effects from NSAIDs

    • Supplement administration methods

    • Effects of weight loss

Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells（ADSC）

Expected as a material for regenerative medicine

ADSC therapy for canine osteoarthritis

Proven efficacy in dogs with intra-articular administration

  • Harman R et al. Front Vet Sci 3:81, 2016
  • Éva Kriston Pál et al. Can J Vet Res 81:73-78, 2017
  • Kiran Shah et al. Stem Cells 2018:7309201, 2018

ADSC therapy for feline osteoarthritis

No evidence was found for its use in cats or for its efficacy when administered intravenously.
Overview of ADSC Therapy for Feline Osteoarthritis

  1. Allogeneic ADSC(Passage 0 or 1)
  2. A single IV dose of 0.5 to 1×10⁶ cells/kg ADSC suspended in 30 ml saline for 6 cats diagnosed with osteoarthritis

FMPI(FELINE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN INDEX ）

Treatment Flow and Assessment Items

Efficacy evaluation before and after ADSC administration

In all heads, FMPI values increased and clinical signs improved

Radiographic changes in the knee joint before and after ADSC administration

Evaluation of abnormal findings before and after ADSC administration

  • No clinically abnormal vital changes were observed.
  • No dose-related adverse events were observed at 6 months post-dose.。

Conclusion

  • It was suggested that ADSC therapy may contribute to improved quality of life for feline osteoarthritis and may also inhibit lesion progression.
  • Obtaining long-term efficacy data could lead to new treatment options for feline osteoarthritis.

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