The current perspectives of dromedary camel stem cells research

Saadeldin, Islam M.; Abdel-Aziz Swelum, Ayman; Alzahrani, Faisal A.; Alowaimer, Abdullah N.

Additionally, industry has attracted investments in camel dairy byproducts, as 16.9% of milk consumed by humans comes from species other than cattle [9, 10] . However, there is a significant variability in the milk yield among individuals (i.e. high milk producing camels can produce 12-fold more milk than low-producing ones) [2, 11] . Camels can produce milk and sustain its productivity in harsh and hostile conditions where other animals may not survive [12] . Camel milk is a rich source of proteins with potential antimicrobial and protective activities compared to cow's milk. In many countries, camel milk is given to babies suffering from malnutrition or milk sensitivity [13] . Compared to cow, buffalo, and ewe milk fat, camel milk fat contains fewer short-chained fatty acids, but the same long-chained fatty acids can be found. Some researchers claim that the value of camel milk is found in the high concentrations of volatile acids especially linoleic and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for human nutrition [14] . Camel milk has a high vitamin (especially C, B1), minerals and immunoglobulin content. Additionally, camel milk is low in lactose and cholesterol compared to cow's milk [15] . However, the levels of potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, sodium and zinc are higher than in cow's milk [13, 16] . Therefore, it is necessary to treat injuries and propagate the numbers of high-value milk producers through cloning technology to conserve the genetic merits of these camels, especially when traditional breeding practices are difficult and of low efficiency [17, 18] .