Vet World   Vol.18   September-2025  Article - 27 

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in bovine reproduction: Mechanistic insights, clinical applications, and translational challenges

Teguh Ari Prabowo , Zultinur Muttaqin , Herdis Herdis , Santoso Santoso , Tri Puji Priyatno , Pradita Iustitia Sitaresmi , Tatan Kostaman , Mohammad Firdaus Hudaya , Santiananda Arta Asmarasari , Diana Andrianita Kusumaningrum , Nurul Azizah , and Suyatno Suyatno

Background and Aim: Reproductive problems such as infertility, endometritis, and ovarian cysts are major causes of economic loss in cattle. Traditional treatments, including antibiotics and hormonal therapies, often show limited effectiveness and raise concerns about resistance and animal health. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offer a promising alternative because of their ability to regenerate tissues, modulate immune responses, and improve reproductive function. This review summarizes recent studies and consolidates emerging preclinical and clinical insights into MSC-based reproductive therapy in cattle. MSCs help repair ovarian and uterine tissues by migrating to damaged areas, reducing inflammation, releasing growth factors, and protecting against oxidative stress. Different methods of therapy, such as intrauterine infusion, intravenous delivery, and intraovarian injection, have been tested with encouraging results. For example, MSC therapy has improved pregnancy rates in cattle with endometritis and restored ovarian activity in animals with cystic ovaries. In addition to cell-based therapies, MSC-derived secretomes and exosomes demonstrate strong potential as cell-free approaches, offering regenerative effects with reduced risks. Despite these advances, challenges remain in translating MSC therapy to clinical practice. Variability in outcomes, technical expertise required for administration, and regulatory approval are major barriers. More studies are needed to standardize treatment protocols, evaluate long-term safety, and develop cost-effective strategies. Overall, MSC therapy represents a novel and sustainable approach for improving cattle fertility and herd productivity, offering an import­ant step forward in veterinary reproductive biotechnology.

Keywords: cattle reproduction, infertility, mesenchymal stem cells, ovarian function, regenerative therapy.

How to cite this article: Prabowo TA, Muttaqin Z, Herdis H, Santoso S, Priyatno TP, Sitaresmi PI, Kostaman T, Hudaya MF, Asmarasari SA, Kusumaningrum DA, Azizah N, and Suyatno S (2025) Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in bovine reproduction: Mechanistic insights, clinical applications, and translational challenges, Veterinary World, 18(9): 2888-2899.

Received: 17-04-2025   Accepted: 14-08-2025   Published online: 30-09-2025

Corresponding author: Suyatno Suyatno    E-mail: suya017@brin.go.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.2888-2899

Copyright: Prabowo, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.