Isolation of equine peripheral blood stem cells from a Japanese native horse

The sizes of Japanese native horses have drastically decreased, and protection of these populations is important for Japanese horse culture. Social trials as well as scientific attempts are necessary for maintaining the breed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential as a cell source for various cell therapies. However, there have been no reports on MSCs of Japanese native horses. We aimed to isolate and characterize MSCs from a Japanese native horse, the Noma horse. Plastic-adherent and self-replicating cells were isolated from a Noma horse's peripheral blood (PB). The isolated cells had trilineage potential and a surface antigen of mesenchymal cells, so they fulfilled the minimal criteria of MSCs. Therefore, PB can be one source of MSCs for Japanese native horses.