Use of growth factors present in platelet-rich plasma as an alternative treatment for musculoskeletal lesions in animals

Abstract

A systematic review of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) use in animals was carried out by taking 105 reference articles published during the last 8 years (2012 to 2020) in Veterinary Medicine International, Scientific Reports, BMC Veterinary Research, Platelets, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy; they were validated in the following databases: PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciELO, Medline, Embase and Scopus. The search was limited to just journals having a high impact factor; the SCImago journal rank (SJR) indicator (i.e. a sophisticated citation analysis algorithm) was also used. Only 35 of these articles met the selection criteria: i.e. coordinating content with current needs in veterinary medicine, seeking new biotechnological approaches and promoting regenerative medicine based on reconstructing living tissue to counteract damage or replace injured organs’ function. One such tool is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with its derivative growth factors (GF): transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial
growth factor (VEGF), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). PRP is currently used as a biostimulant, acting as the basis for human and veterinary medicine studies; its effectiveness regarding bone/fracture healing/regeneration in clinical patients has been observed. Scientific evidence in the pertinent medical literature regarding PRP as an alternative treatment for managing fractures and musculoskeletal injuries was collected, thereby determining the importance of standardising the PRP procedure regarding its use, preparation, storage and administration.