Effectiveness of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis

PICO Question In cats with chronic gingivostomatitis, does using intravenous mesenchymal stem cell therapy, compared to not using it, lead to the improvement of clinical signs?   Clinical bottom line Category of research Treatment. Number and type of study designs reviewed Five interventional studies (clinical trials). Strength of evidence Moderate. Outcomes reported The reviewed studies indicate intravenous mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is safe to administer and can be effective in remission or alleviating the clinical signs of refractory, chronic gingivostomatitis in cats that have undergone full-mouth tooth extraction. Conclusion The collective evidence supports the intravenous administration of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis following dental extraction. However, conducted clinical trials are prone to different degrees of bias due to the lack of independent control groups, the small number of subjects, and enrolling subjects with various severity of the disease. Therefore, more robust evidence can be obtained through well-designed randomised controlled trials to confirm the observed positive effects of the treatment in cats with a broader range of characteristics.   How to apply this evidence in practice The application of evidence into practice should take into account multiple factors, not limited to: individual clinical expertise, patient’s circumstances and owners’ values, country, location or clinic where you work, the individual case in front of you, the availability of therapies and resources. Knowledge Summaries are a resource to help reinforce or inform decision making. They do not override the responsibility or judgement of the practitioner to do what is best for the animal in their care.