Abstract / Summary
Adipose tissue-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and cultured stem cells have been applied in the treatment of wound healing and many other diseases of dogs. However, these cells are difficult to obtain in large amounts for therapy. Xanthosine (Xs) is a nucleoside that has been shown to increase stem cell numbers when used in vivo. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of SVF along with xanthosine (Xs) on surgical wounds in dogs. Randomly, but age-matched, 24 dogs were allocated into four groups: a control group and three treatment groups (SVF, Xs, and SVF + Xs). The therapeutic effects of treatments on wound healing were assessed at days 7 and 14 by gross observation, photographs, and by measuring levels of angiogenic (VEGF) and inflammatory (TGFB1) markers. Results showed that SVF enhanced hair regrowth by day 7 and maintained its effects at day 14 (p ≤ 0.05). Compared to control, wound redness was visibly low in Xs, SVF, and SVF + Xs groups on day 7, and further reduced on day 14 (p ≤ 0.05) in the Xs group. VEGF expression peaked at day 7 in the SVF group (p ≤ 0.001), whereas the Xs group showed delayed elevation at day 14 (p ≤ 0.01). TGFB1 was mildly upregulated in SVF at day 14 (p ≤ 0.001) and strongly upregulated ( p < 0.001) in the Xs group. A combination of SVF and Xs demonstrated improved wound healing, maintaining a controlled range of TGFB1, which facilitates enhanced tissue regeneration. In conclusion, both SVF and Xs can independently promote wound healing. Furthermore, the combined SVF + Xs therapy was shown to modulate the surgical wound healing process in dogs.