Topic:Articular Cartilage
Articular cartilage in horses is a specialized connective tissue found at the ends of bones within joints. It provides a smooth, lubricated surface for articulation and facilitates the transmission of loads with a low frictional coefficient. Articular cartilage is primarily composed of chondrocytes, collagen fibers, and proteoglycans, and it lacks blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatics. This avascular nature contributes to its limited capacity for self-repair following injury. The health and integrity of articular cartilage are essential for maintaining joint function and mobility in horses. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and pathological changes of articular cartilage in equine species, as well as advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cartilage-related disorders.
Osteoarticular radiographic findings of the distal forelimbs in Tbourida Horses. Tbourida is a traditional Moroccan equestrian sport in which 15 horses gallop 200 m in a line while riders fire into the sky with muskets. The stop is the finale and representative demands of this equestrian event. Such particular sudden stop after a fast gallop requires a hyperextension of the metacarpophalangeal joint. Indeed, it is well known that Tbourida show predisposes horses to different injuries of the hard and soft tissues of the distal forelimbs. Yet, there is a paucity of research that examined such lesions. The aim of the present study was to investigate for the first time the typ...
Serotonin-evoked cytosolic Ca2+ release and opioid receptor expression are upregulated in articular cartilage chondrocytes from osteoarthritic joints in horses. Osteoarthritis is a pain-associated progressive disease and pain mediators, such as opioid receptors, expressed in articular cartilage could represent novel therapeutic targets. Acute and chronic stages of OA indicate different metabolic abilities of the chondrocytes depending on inflammatory state. This study aimed to investigate the response of healthy and osteoarthritic chondrocytes and their expression and release of pain mediators in response to acute inflammation. Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to induce an acute inflammatory response in cultured equin...
Differential Gene Expression in Articular Cartilage and Subchondral Bone of Neonatal and Adult Horses. Skeletogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. Derangement of this process likely underlies developmental skeletal pathologies. Examination of tissue-specific gene expression may help elucidate novel skeletal developmental pathways that could contribute to disease risk. Our aim was to identify and functionally annotate differentially expressed genes in equine neonatal and adult articular cartilage (AC) and subchondral bone (SCB). RNA was sequenced from healthy AC and SCB from the fetlock, hock, and stifle joints of 6 foals (≤4 weeks of age) and six adults (8-12 years of age). There w...
Age-Related Alterations Affecting the Chondrogenic Differentiation of Synovial Fluid Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in an Equine Model. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that strongly correlates with age and promotes the breakdown of joint cartilage and subchondral bone. There has been a surge of interest in developing cell-based therapies, focused particularly on the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) isolated from adult tissues. It seems that MSCs derived from synovial joint tissues exhibit superior chondrogenic ability, but their unclear distribution and low frequency actually limit their clinical application. To date, the influence of aging on synovial joint derived MSCs' biological characteristics and differen...
The relationship between microstructure, stiffness and compressive fatigue life of equine subchondral bone. Subchondral bone injuries often precede articular cartilage damage in osteoarthritis and are common in thoroughbred racehorses due to the accumulation of fatigue damage from high speed racing and training. Thus, racehorses provide a model to investigate the role of subchondral bone in joint disease. We assessed the association of horse and racing related factors and micro-CT based micromorphology of three separate subchondral bone layers with the initial stiffness and compressive fatigue life of bone plugs. Furthermore, we investigated three different definitions of fatigue failure of subchond...
Dataset on equine cartilage near infrared spectra, composition, and functional properties. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a well-established technique that is widely employed in agriculture, chemometrics, and pharmaceutical engineering. Recently, the technique has shown potential in clinical orthopaedic applications, for example, assisting in the diagnosis of various knee-related diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis) and their pathologies. NIR spectroscopy (NIRS) could be especially useful for determining the integrity and condition of articular cartilage, as the current arthroscopic diagnostics is subjective and unreliable. In this work, we present an extensive dataset of NIRS meas...
Microfluidic nutrient gradient-based three-dimensional chondrocyte culture-on-a-chip as an in vitro equine arthritis model. In this work, we describe a microfluidic three-dimensional (3D) chondrocyte culture mimicking in vivo articular chondrocyte morphology, cell distribution, metabolism, and gene expression. This has been accomplished by establishing a physiologic nutrient diffusion gradient across the simulated matrix, while geometric design constraints of the microchambers drive native-like cellular behavior. Primary equine chondrocytes remained viable for the extended culture time of 3 weeks and maintained the low metabolic activity and high Sox9, aggrecan, and Col2 expression typical of articular chondrocytes...
Finite Element Modelling Simulated Meniscus Translocation and Deformation during Locomotion of the Equine Stifle. We developed a finite element model (FEM) of the equine stifle joint to identify pressure peaks and simulate translocation and deformation of the menisci. A series of sectional magnetic resonance images (1.5 T) of the stifle joint of a 23 year old Shetland pony gelding served as basis for image segmentation. Based on the 3D polygon models of femur, tibia, articular cartilages, menisci, collateral ligaments and the meniscotibial ligaments, an FEM model was generated. Tissue material properties were assigned based on data from human (Open knee(s) project) and bovine femoro-tibial joint available...
Outcome of arthroscopic debridement of cartilage injury in the equine distal interphalangeal joint. The purpose of this study was to report long-term outcome following arthroscopic debridement of articular cartilage lesions of the distal interphalangeal joint, diagnosed with high-field magnetic resonance imaging. Diagnosis was based on the results of diagnostic anesthesia, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and arthroscopy. Ten horses underwent arthroscopic evaluation for cartilage injury and received various intra-articular therapies after surgery. Three of ten horses had lesions that were surgically inaccessible. Four horses became sound and returned to their preoperative level of athletici...
Influence of Exercise, Age, Body weight, and Growth on the Development of Tarsal Osteoarthritis in Young Mangalarga Marchador Horses. In this study, the effect of early exercise, age, body weight (BW), and growth on the articular cartilage and subchondral bones of the tarsocrural joints was evaluated in 40 young Mangalarga Marchador horses allowed free choice exercise in pasture. Twenty of the horses had additional controlled exercise 3 days per week from a mean age of 30 ± 20 days until 36 months. The training program consisted of an increasing number of 15-minute gallop sprints in an oval paddock with a concrete floor covered by a thick layer of sand. BW, withers height (WH), and neck circumference were measured and bo...
T2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping in an equine model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis: assessment of mechanical and structural properties of articular cartilage. To investigate the potential of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and T2* relaxation time mapping to determine mechanical and structural properties of articular cartilage via univariate and multivariate analysis. Samples were obtained from a cartilage repair study, in which surgically induced full-thickness chondral defects in the stifle joints of seven Shetland ponies caused post-traumatic osteoarthritis (14 samples). Control samples were collected from non-operated joints of three animals (6 samples). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 9.4 T, using a 3-D multi-echo gr...
Hyaluronic Acid: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Trajectory. Hyaluronic acid (also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate) is naturally found in many tissues and fluids, but more abundantly in articular cartilage and synovial fluid (SF). Hyaluronic acid (HA) content varies widely in different joints and species. HA is a non-sulfated, naturally occurring non-protein glycosaminoglycan (GAG), with distinct physico-chemical properties, produced by synoviocytes, fibroblasts, and chondrocytes. HA has an important role in the biomechanics of normal SF, where it is partially responsible for lubrication and viscoelasticity of the SF. The concentration of HA and its ...
Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography Scoring System for Distinguishing Early Osteoarthritis Disease States: A Feasibility Study. Early detection of osteoarthritis (OA) remains a diagnostic challenge owing to insensitive diagnostic techniques currently available. Herein a new semiquantitative scoring system, based upon contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CECT) imaging, is described for further refinement of early OA disease staging. Trochlear ridge cartilage defects were surgically created in the femoropatellar joint of an adult horse (ACUC approved protocols). Seven weeks post-surgery, CECT imaging was performed on a clinical scanner after intra-articular injection of a cationic iodinated contrast agent, CA4+, into ...
Comparison Between the Hyperelastic Behavior of Fresh and Frozen Equine Articular Cartilage in Various Joints. Fresh and frozen cartilage samples of the fetlock, carpus, and stifle were collected from 12 deceased horses. Half were measured immediately following extraction, and half were frozen for seven days and then measured. Seven indentations (various normalized displacements) were implemented with an indention rate of 0.1 mm/s. Solid phase aggregate modulus (Es), hyperelastic material constant (α), and fluid load fraction (F') of equine articular cartilage were assessed using the Ogden hyperelastic model. The properties were statistically compared in various joints (fetlock, carpus, and stifle),...
The effect of hypoxia on chondrogenesis of equine synovial membrane-derived and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Joint injury is extremely common in equine athletes and post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a progressive and debilitating disease, is estimated to affect 60% of horses in the USA. The limited potential for intrinsic healing of articular cartilage has prompted intense efforts to identify a cell-based repair strategy to prevent progression of PTOA. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to become an ideal source for cell-based treatment of cartilage lesions; however, full chondrogenic differentiation remains elusive. Due to the relatively low oxygen tension in articular cartilage, h...
Chondrogenic expression and DNA methylation patterns in prolonged passages of chondrocyte cell lines of the horse. We investigated the activity of chondrogenic markers and variation of methylation patterns in equine cartilaginous cells cultivated in monolayer. The transcriptional and epigenetic effect of the long-term culture of chondrocytes has been evaluated using several passages of chondrocyte cell-lines derived from equine articular cartilage. Using 3 genes as endogenous control we tested the expression of 7 genes important for different stages of chondrocyte differentiation and maturation. CpG islands in RUNX3 locus were inspected for the evaluation of differential methylation state of passaged cell-...
Evaluation of equine articular cartilage degeneration after mechanical impact injury using cationic contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Cationic agent contrast-enhanced computed tomography (cationic CECT) characterizes articular cartilage ex vivo, however, its capacity to detect post-traumatic injury is unknown. The study objectives were to correlate cationic CECT attenuation with biochemical, mechanical and histological properties of cartilage and morphologic computed tomography (CT) measures of bone, and to determine the ability of cationic CECT to distinguish subtly damaged from normal cartilage in an in vivo equine model. Mechanical impact injury was initiated in equine femoropatellar joints in vivo to establish subtle ...
The use of equine chondrogenic-induced mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment for osteoarthritis: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study. There is a need to improve therapies for osteoarthritis in horses. Objective: To assess the efficacy of equine allogeneic chondrogenic-induced mesenchymal stem cells combined with equine allogeneic plasma as a novel therapy for osteoarthritis in horses. Methods: Randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled experiment. Methods: In 12 healthy horses, osteoarthritis was induced in the metacarpophalangeal joint using an osteochondral fragment-groove model. Five weeks after surgery, horses were randomly assigned to either an intra-articular injection with chondrogenic-induced mesenchymal stem cel...
Temporal changes in synovial fluid composition and elastoviscous lubrication in the equine carpal fracture model. The objective of this study was to examine temporal variations in synovial fluid composition and lubrication following articular fracture. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) was induced by creating an osteochondral fracture in the middle carpal joint of four horses while the contralateral limb served as a sham-operated control. Horses were exercised on a high-speed treadmill, and synovial fluid was collected pre-operatively and at serial timepoints until 75 days post-operatively. Lubricin and hyaluronic acid (HA) concentrations were measured using sandwich ELISAs, and the molecular weight di...
Effect of circadian rhythm, age, training and acute lameness on serum concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) neo-epitope in horses. Molecular serum markers that can identify early reversible osteoarthritis (OA) in horses are lacking. Objective: We studied serum concentrations of a novel cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) neo-epitope in horses subjected to short-term exercise and with acute lameness. The effects of circadian rhythm and age were also evaluated. Methods: Longitudinal studies in healthy horses and cross-sectional comparison of lame and non-lame horses. Methods: Sera were collected from five horses before and after short-term interval exercise and during full-day box rest. Sera from 32 acutely lame hors...
Viability of Equine Chondrocytes After Exposure to Mepivacaine and Ropivacaine In Vitro. Chondrocyte health is altered when exposed to local anesthetics, raising concerns as to the long-term effects of local anesthetics intra-articularly for diagnosis and analgesia. To investigate the drug with the lowest toxic potential, the effect of ropivacaine and mepivacaine on chondrocytes was evaluated. Articular cartilage from normal metacarpophalangeal joints of five equine cadaver specimens was used to establish chondrocyte cultures. Following seven days, chondrocytes were exposed to standard culture medium (DMEM), ropivacaine 7.5 mg/ml (ROP7.5), ropivacaine 10 mg/ml (ROP10), mepivacaine...
Chondrogenic differentiation potential of adult and fetal equine cell types. To determine the chondrogenic potential of cells derived from interzone tissue, the normal progenitor of articular cartilage during fetal development, compared to that of adult bone marrow-derived and adipose-derived mesenchymal cell isolates. The objective of this study was to compare the chondrogenic potential of fetal musculoskeletal progenitor cells to adult cell types, which are currently used therapeutically to facilitate joint cartilage repair in equine clinical practice. The hypothesis tested was that cells derived from interzone tissue have a chondrogenic potential that exceeds that o...
Low field magnetic resonance imaging of the equine distal interphalangeal joint: Comparison between weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions. This descriptive study aimed to compare the magnetic resonance appearance of the distal interphalangeal joint articular cartilage between standing weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing conditions. Ten forefeet of live horses were scanned in a standing low-field magnetic resonance system (0.27 T). After euthanasia for reasons unrelated to the study, the non-weight-bearing isolated feet were scanned in a vertical positioning reproducing limb orientation in live horses. The same acquisition settings as during the weight-bearing examination were used. Thickness and cross-sectional area of the dist...
Persistence of fluorescent nanoparticle-labelled bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and after intra-articular injection. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) improve the osteoarthritis condition, but the fate of MSCs after intra-articular injection is unclear. We used fluorescent nanoparticles (quantum dots [QDs]) to track equine MSCs (QD-labelled MSCs [QD-MSCs]) in vivo after intra-articular injection into normal and osteoarthritic joints. One week after injection of QD-MSCs, unlabelled MSCs, or vehicle, we determined the presence of QD-MSCs in synovium and articular cartilage histologically. In vitro, we evaluated the persistence of QDs in MSCs and whether QDs affected proliferation, immunophenotype, or differentiati...
Intra-articular Corticosteroids for Knee Pain-What Have We Learned from the Equine Athlete and Current Best Practice. The use of intra-articular corticosteroids for traumatic arthritis and osteoarthritis (OA) is common in the horse. The beneficial and deleterious effects of the principal corticosteroids used betamethasone esters (Celestone [Soluspan], methylprednisolone acetate [Depo Medrol], and triamcinolone acetonide [TA] [Vetalog or Kenalog]) have been defined for the horse. While TA has both disease-modifying as well as symptom-modifying effects, methyl prednisolone acetate has deleterious effects on the articular cartilage. Studies in traumatically injured joints show the same rationale (suppression of ...
A pilot study of regenerative therapy by implanting synovium-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in equine osteochondral defect models. Synovium-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (SM-MSCs) from seven Thoroughbreds with naturally occurring intra-articular fracture proliferated to over ten million cells by the second passage. Using three experimental Thoroughbreds, columnar osteochondral defects were made arthroscopically at the bilateral distal radius. Five million allogenic SM-MSCs were implanted into the right defect, and another five million were injected into the right radio-carpal joint (implantation site). No SM-MSCs were implanted into the left defect or the same joint (control site). At 3 and 6 weeks after surgery, ten ...
Quantitative Evaluation of Equine Articular Cartilage Using Cationic Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography. To investigate the diffusion trajectory of a cationic contrast medium (CA4+) into equine articular cartilage, and to assess normal and degenerative equine articular cartilage using cationic contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT). In the first experiment (Exp1), equine osteochondral specimens were serially imaged with cationic CECT to establish the diffusion time constant and time to reach equilibrium in healthy articular cartilage. In a separate experiment (Exp2), articular cartilage defects were created on the femoral trochlea (defect joint) in a juvenile horse, while the opposite joint...
The Use of Bone Marrow Concentrate in the Treatment of Full-Thickness Chondral Defects. This article is a critical analysis of a study, "Minimally Manipulated Bone Marrow Concentrate Compared with Microfracture Treatment of Full-Thickness Chondral Defects: A One-Year Study in an Equine Model," by Chu et al. (. 100(2):138-146, 2018). The investigation compared two interventions in the management of full-thickness chondral defects in an equine model: autologous bone marrow concentrate without concomitant microfracture treatment versus microfracture treatment alone. This review analyzes the methodology and results of their investigation and examines how their findings may influence ...
Extracellular Vesicles in Joint Disease and Therapy. The use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a potential therapy is currently explored for different disease areas. When it comes to the treatment of joint diseases this approach is still in its infancy. As in joint diseases both inflammation and the associated articular tissue destruction are important factors, both the immune-suppressive and the regenerative properties of EVs are potentially advantageous characteristics for future therapy. There is, however, only limited knowledge on the basic features, such as numerical profile and function, of EVs in joint articular tissues in general and th...
Rationale and pre-clinical evidences for the use of autologous cartilage micrografts in cartilage repair. The management of cartilage lesions is an open issue in clinical practice, and regenerative medicine represents a promising approach, including the use of autologous micrografts whose efficacy was already tested in different clinical settings. The aim of this study was to characterize in vitro the effect of autologous cartilage micrografts on chondrocyte viability and differentiation and perform an evaluation of their application in racehorses affected by joint diseases. Methods: Matched human chondrocytes and micrografts were obtained from articular cartilage using Rigenera® procedure. Chond...