title: Evaluation of the ability of a gravitational filtration system to enhance recovery of equine bone marrow elements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess efficiency of gravity filtration to enhance recovery of equine bone marrow elements including stem and progenitor cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  12 healthy adult horses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bone marrow aspirates were collected from the fifth sternebral body and filtered by gravitational flow to obtain bone marrow elements. Raw and harvested bone marrow and marrow effluent were evaluated for WBC and platelet counts, automated and cytomorphologic cell differential counts, mesenchymal stem cell CFUs, cell viability, and differentiation capacity. Isolated cells were analyzed for CD90 and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean cell viability of harvested bone marrow was 95.9%. Total WBCs and platelets were efficiently captured on the filter (> 95%), and mean recovery in harvested bone marrow was 30%. Cytologic cell differential counts indicated that the percentage of neutrophils was significantly less and the progenitor cell population was significantly higher and concentrated 1.56-fold in harvested bone marrow, compared with results for raw bone marrow. Flow cytometry and cell culture were used to characterize harvested bone marrow cells as positive for expression of CD90 and negative for MHCI and MHCII, which indicated stem cells with a multipotent phenotype that differentiated into chondrocytes, osteocytes, adipocytes, and tenocytes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gravitational filtration of bone marrow efficiently yielded platelets and cells and produced a progenitor-enriched, leukocyte-reduced product, compared with raw bone marrow.
authors.forename: Lauren N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Mundy
authors.forename: Akikazu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: Maxey L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wellman
authors.forename: Alicia L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Bertone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle / Q000662:veterinary; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000662:veterinary; D006736:Horses; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology