Morphology and Microscopy of Equine Umbilical Cord and Characterization of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Isolated from Foetal Adnexa

The purpose of this PhD thesis is to perform a dissertation about the equine umbilical cord (UC), with particular attention to its macroscopic characteristics moving into its microscopic features. Furthermore, equine UC was microscopically and immunohistochemically described. The coiling makes the UC a structure both flexible and strong, and provides resistance to external forces, which could compromise blood flow. Data obtained from the present study could be considered as a normal range of number of coils and UCI in the equine physiological pregnancies. The second and major component of this dissertation was focused on umbilical cord as a Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) niche. In particular, the ultrastructural characterization and immune profile of equine MSCs derived from foetal tissues (Wharton’s jelly and blood) were investigated; equine foetal MSCs were then compared to human foetal MSCs and equine adult MSCs. The third section included the clinical applications of MSCs derived from AF and WJ on cutaneous wounds of different ages’ foals. The employ of foetal MSCs on cutaneous wounds decreased their healing both in neonatal foals and six-month foals, in comparison with other traditional treatments. In conclusion, one of the most important feature of placenta’s evaluation is the observation of normal characteristic of the equine UC. Furthermore, since the UC is a discarded material after delivery, it represents an excellent non-invasive alternative source of MSCs with reliable migration and differentiation capacities, and it is a convenient cell source for autologous or allogeneic regenerative therapies. Finally, it is important a constant update about regenerative medicine and the development of research in this field considering that the horse serves as a perfect model for humans.