Effect of needle diameter on the viability of equine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells.
OBJECTIVE
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are frequently delivered via needle injection for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of needle diameter on the viability of MSCs.


METHODS
Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 5 horses were suspended in PBS, and held at room temperature for 7 hours to mimic shipping conditions. Two replicate samples for each needle size (20, 22, 23, or 25-gauge [ga]) were aspirated into a 3 mL syringe and re-injected into the holding vial 3 times, to reproduce the resuspension of cells prior to injection in clinical cases. Cells were stained with fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide to measure viability. Flow cytometry (FC) was performed to compare cell debris and intact cells between groups.


RESULTS
MSC viability was higher when cells were passed through a 20-ga rather than a 25-ga needle. Cell suspensions passed through a 20-ga needle contained a larger percentage of intact cells, compared to 25-ga samples. The percentage of debris present in cell suspensions tended to increase with decreasing needle diameter. Neither horse nor passage had a significant effect on viability.


CONCLUSIONS
Cell damage is more likely when MSCs are passed through 25-ga rather than 20-ga needles.


CONCLUSIONS
Use of needles larger than 25-ga is recommended to maintain the viability of MSCs injected in horses.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Hayley M
HM
Lang
Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Lauren V
LV
Schnabel
Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Jennifer M
JM
Cassano
Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Lisa A
LA
Fortier
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D006736:Horses; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009339:Needles; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary*