Cattle/Buffalo Mesenchymal Stem Cell Basic Research and Potential Applications

Cattle/buffalo has an important position in the economics of the livestock industry, worldwide. These animals are main contributors of the meat and milk, and any relevant ailment like reproductive inefficiency and mastitis ipso facto pose a major challenge to the veterinarian. To address these health issues and other relevant conditions, stem cells especially mesenchymal stem cells are being evaluated. MSCs in large ruminants have been harvested from various tissue including fetal membranes and are well characterized. Slim assimilation of knowledge in their basic physiological properties limits their definitive applications. MSCs applications in large ruminants have mostly been evaluated for production-related traits. In this chapter potential applications of cattle and buffalo MSCs, in addition to their characteristics, have been discussed.