CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF THE IMMUNOMODULATORY AND REGENERATIVE POTENTIAL OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS FROM THE CRAB-EATING FOX (CERDOCYON THOUS LINNEAUS, 1766)

• Grant number: 24/22428-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Rogério Martins Amorim
• Grantee: João Vinícius Carneiro de Aragão
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Research in regenerative medicine has advanced with the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These cells are characterised by their fibroblast-like morphology, mesenchymal immunophenotype, self-renewal capacity, and differentiation potential into osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. MSCs can be isolated from various tissues, such as adipose tissue, and their therapeutic potential involves the secretion of extracellular vesicles and soluble bioactive molecules with immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. MSCs are promising for the treatment of various diseases, including neurological conditions. However, there is still a lack of studies on the characterisation and therapeutic potential of MSCs in wildlife species. Due to the increasing interaction between wild canids and domestic dogs, there have been reports of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) in crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), which motivates the use of MSCs in the treatment of the sequelae of this disease in wild canids. This project aims to characterise and evaluate the immunomodulatory and regenerative potential of MSCs derived from the adipose tissue of C. thous. Adipose tissue samples will be collected during elective surgeries from five animals housed at the CEMPAS of FMVZ-UNESP. The cells will be isolated, cultured, and characterised morphologically, immunophenotypically, and for their multipotency. They will also be subjected to viability, apoptosis, cytokine gene expression (IDO, PGE2, IL-1-beta, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gama), and growth factor expression assays (BDNF, GDNF, HGF, and VEGF).