Clinical dermatology Concise report CED Clinical and Experimental Dermatology The effects of equine peripheral blood stem cells on cutaneous wound healing: a clinical evaluation in four horses

Summary Stem-cell therapy represents a promising strategy for the treatment of challenging pathologies, such as large, infected wounds that are unresponsive to conventional therapies. The present study describes the clinical application of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) for the treatment of four adult Warmblood horses with naturally occurring wounds, which were unresponsive to conventional therapies for at least 3 months. A visual assessment was performed, and a number of wound-healing parameters (granulation tissue, crust formation and scar formation) were evaluated. In all cases, tissue overgrowth was visible within 4 weeks after PBSC injection, fol-lowed by the formation of crusts and small scars in the centre of the wound, with hair regeneration at the edges. In conclusion, this is the first report of PBSC therapy of skin wounds in horses, and it produced a positive visual and clinical outcome. Extended wounds of the distal limbs are one of the most common dermatological pathologies in horses, and tend to have a long recovery period and poor response to conventional therapies.1–4 In horses