Safety and efficacy of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of canine leukopenia induced by canine parvovirus infection

ABSTRACT: This study aims to establish a therapy strategy for canine leukopenia induced by canine parvovirus (CPV) infection through intravenous infusion of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and to evaluate the therapeutic effect of BMMSCs on canine parvovirus. Forty healthy 2-month-old dogs were randomly divided into four groups including the BMMSC treatment group (A), conventional treatment group (B), CPV infection group (C), and a normal control group (D). Then the A, B, and C groups were orally infected with CPV (103.25 TCID50/mL) at 1mL/kg, and the D group received the same dose of saline. After the onset of infection, Group A received mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and rehydration as the treatment; Group B was treated with anti-inflammatory therapeutics and rehydration; and Group C and D were injected with the same dose of physiological saline. The level of leukocytes rebounded significantly after the treatment with BMMSCs and returned to reference numbers on Day 3 after treatment, which was significantly higher than that in the conventional treatment group. The concentrations of IL-2 and IFN-α were gradually increased during the treatment, and the BMMSC treatment group exhibited significantly higher IL-2 and IFN-α concentrations than the conventional treatment group on Days 3 and 4. The expression of the virus in the blood gradually decreased during the treatment, and the BMMSC treatment group displayed a faster decrease than the conventional treatment group. These results showed the advantages of BMMSC treatment over conventional treatment. This study provides a new BMMSC treatment strategy for canine leukopenia induced by CPV infection and reveals the mechanism by which BMMSC increases leukocytes after CPV infection.