Experimental methods in equine research encompass a variety of techniques and procedures used to investigate physiological, behavioral, and health-related aspects of horses. These methods are designed to collect data that can enhance the understanding of equine biology and inform veterinary practices. Common experimental approaches include controlled trials, observational studies, and laboratory-based experiments. Techniques may involve the use of non-invasive imaging, biochemical assays, and physiological monitoring to assess parameters such as metabolic function, locomotion, and disease progression. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application, development, and evaluation of experimental methods in the study of equine science.
Wunn D, Wardrop KJ, Meyers K, Kramer J, Ragle C.To develop methods to isolate, culture, and characterize equine hoof endothelial cells (EC) and keratinocytes. Methods: Cells harvested from the forelimbs of 8 horses. Methods: EC were obtained via catheters placed in the palmar digital arteries of the disarticulated lower portion of the forelimbs from 4 horses that had been heparinized prior to euthanasia. Phosphate-buffered saline solution was used to remove and discard RBC from blood vessels, and collagenase was used to loosen and flush EC from the vasculature. Hoof keratinocytes were obtained from 4 recently euthanatized horses by use of d...
Lee YH, Clarke KW, Alibhai HI.Clenbuterol (0.8 microg kg(-1) intravenously) was investigated in ponies (small horses) anaesthetised with acepromazine, detomidine and thiopentone, then halothane in oxygen alone (hyperoxic group) or with nitrous oxide (hypoxic group). Following instrumentation, ponies were placed in dorsal recumbency for 60 minutes, clenbuterol (both groups) or a saline control (hyperoxic group) given, and cardiopulmonary parameters monitored for a further 60 minutes. In the hyperoxic group, clenbuterol administration resulted in a transitory (<five minutes) 15 per cent fall in arterial blood pressure and...
Csellner H, Walker C, Love DN, Whalley JM.An equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) mutant was constructed by inserting a lacZ expression cassette into the intergenic region upstream of gene 62 (glycoprotein L; gL) and downstream of gene 63 (a homologue of the herpes simplex virus transcriptional activator ICP0). The recombinant lacZ62/63-EHV-1 had similar growth kinetics in cell culture to those of the parental wild type (wt) virus, with indistinguishable cytopathic effects and plaque morphology. Reverse transcriptase PCR confirmed that the lacZ insertion did not interfere with transcription of gL and immunoblot analysis indicated there was no...
Hammock PD, Freeman DE, Baker GJ.To examine the efficacy of psyllium mucilloid in evacuating sand from the equine large intestine. Methods: 12 clinically healthy pony geldings. Methods: Twelve ponies were assigned to 2 groups of six each. One group was treated with psyllium and the second was a control group. All ponies had an exploratory celiotomy and 10 g/kg body weight of sand was placed into the cecum. Ponies were fed a grain mixture alone at 1 g/kg (controls), a grain mixture plus psyllium pellets, each at 1 g/kg body weight (3 ponies), or fed a grain mixture and given psyllium powder by nasogastric tube at 1 g/kg body w...
Gray AW, Davies ME, Jeffcott LB.We report on preliminary results of a novel in vitro culture system designed to generate equine osteoclasts in large numbers. Osteoclast generation, as determined by the expression of tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and ability to resorb bone, was enhanced in equine bone marrow cultures supplemented with fibroblastic cell (L929) conditioned medium (L929-CM). Bone marrow was collected from a total of 12 horses and ponies and TRAP-positive cells with bone resorbing ability were generated in significant numbers in the last seven. TRAP-positive mononuclear cells appeared after three day...
Hanafusa Y, Cho KO, Kanemaru T, Wada R, Sugimoto C, Onuma M.The present study was designed to investigate the role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of Babesia caballi in experimentally infected horses. The expression of cytokine mRNA was determined by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in two B. caballi-infected horses for 2 weeks after the infection. In one horse, there was up-regulation of interferon-gamma, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-2 mRNAs, while in the second horse, expression of only TNF-alpha mRNA was up-regulated. No change was observed in interleukin-4 mRNA in both of the horses. To know the rela...
Vercruysse J, Eysker M, Demeulenaere D, Smets K, Dorny P.A controlled trial was carried out to evaluate the persistence of the effect against small strongyles of a 2 per cent moxidectin gel administered orally to foals at a dose rate of 0.4 mg/kg bodyweight. Five of nine helminth-free foals were treated on day 0, and the remaining four foals were used as controls. On days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 all nine foals were infected experimentally with 200,000 small strongyle larvae. Three treated and two control foals were necropsied on day 42 and the rest on day 43. Fourteen species of small or medium sized small strongyles were found in the control foals, 10 ...
Pusterla N, Lutz H, Braun U.Four clinically healthy horses which were negative for antibodies to Ehrlichia phagocytophila, the agent of bovine ehrlichiosis, were infected experimentally with E phagocytophila-containing bovine leucocytes, administered intravenously. The horses were examined daily for four weeks, and blood samples were collected daily for cytological, haematological and biochemical examination and for a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An indirect immunofluorescence test was used to determine when the horses seroconverted and the duration of positive titres. There were no abnormal clinical, haematol...
Katz JB, Alstad D, Jenny AL, Carbone KM, Rubin SA, Waltrip RW.Borna disease was originally described as an equine neurologic syndrome over 200 years ago, although the infectious etiology of the disorder was unproven until the early 20th century. Borna disease virus (BDV) was finally isolated from horses dying of the disorder, and that virus has been used to experimentally reproduce Borna disease in several species of laboratory animals. However, BDV has never been inoculated back into horses to experimentally and etiologically confirm the classic clinical, pathologic, and serologic characteristics of the disease in that species. Three ponies were intrace...
Fagliari JJ, McClenahan D, Evanson OA, Weiss DJ.To determine whether plasma protein concentrations were altered in ponies with alimentary laminitis. Methods: 12 adult ponies. Methods: Acute laminitis was induced in 6 ponies by oral administration of carbohydrate (85% corn starch, 15% wood flour); the other 6 ponies were used as controls. A physical examination was performed and blood samples were collected immediately before and 4, 8, 12, 24, and 28 hours after administration of carbohydrate. Plasma protein concentrations were determined by means of sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Results: 19 plasma proteins rang...
Fortier LA, Nixon AJ, Williams J, Cable CS.To isolate mesenchymal stem cells from adult horses and determine specific monolayer culture conditions required to enhance biochemically and phenotypically defined chondrocytic differentiation. Methods: 2 adult horse bone marrow donors without skeletal or hematologic abnormalities. Methods: Bone marrow was aspirated from the sternebra, and mesenchymal stem cells were isolated by centrifugation and cultured in monolayers. Subcultures were established in 24-well plates on day 13. Culture medium was harvested every 2 days, and culture of 12 of the 24 wells was terminated on day 6 and of the rema...
Borchers K, Wolfinger U, Ludwig H, Thein P, Baxi S, Field HJ, Slater JD.Two 18-month-old naturally reared ponies were used to investigate the pathogenicity of EHV-2. After dexamethasone treatment, pony 1 was inoculated intranasally with EHV-2 strain T16, which has been isolated from a foal with keratoconjunctivitis superficialis and pony 2 was similarly inoculated with strain LK4 which was originally isolated from a horse with upper respiratory tract disease. Following virus inoculation, pyrexia was not detected in either pony but both developed conjunctivitis, lymphadenopathy, and coughing. EHV-2 was detected in nasal mucus samples up to day 12 post infection (p....
Audigié F, Pourcelot P, Degueurce C, Denoix JM, Geiger D, Bortolussi C.To evaluate asymmetry in placement of bilateral skin markers on horses and to determine effect of asymmetric skin marker placement on kinematic variables for trotting horses. Methods: 10 horses for evaluation of asymmetry in marker placement; 1 horse for evaluation of effects on kinematic variables. Methods: Asymmetry in marker placement was assessed by attaching markers to horses and comparing radiographs of left and right limbs. An experimental model was developed to determine effects on kinematic variables; accuracy of the model was validated experimentally. Using kinematic data from a clin...
Cornelissen BP, Rijkenhuizen AB, van den Hoogen BM, Rutten VP, Barneveld A.To develop and define a model of acute synovitis/capsulitis in the equine metacarpophalangeal joint (fetlock) to study clinical effects of diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Methods: 5 adult Standardbreds. Methods: Polyvinyl alcohol foam particles were injected into the left front fetlock of horses; the right front fetlock was used as a control. Horses were examined clinically and for lameness on a regular basis. Blood samples were taken to measure routine variables. Synovial fluid samples were collected from both fetlocks, and macroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical variables were measur...
Todhunter RJ, Fubini SL, Vernier-Singer M, Wootton JA, Lust G, Freeman KP, MacLeod JN.To determine how acute synovitis, with and without intra-articular methylprednisolone acetate (MPA), affect synthesis of proteoglycan, total protein, and collagen in articular cartilage and total protein synthesis in synovial membrane. Methods: Synovitis was induced in 10 ponies by the injection of 0.5 ng lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the left radiocarpal and midcarpal joints every 2 days for a total of four treatments. Synovitis was documented by clinical examination and synovial fluid analyses. Two days before euthanasia, MPA (0.1 mg/kg) was injected with the last dose of LPS into both the l...
Holland JL, Kronfeld DS, Sklan D, Harris PA.Marker methods are needed for estimating fecal output by grazing animals in studies of nutrition and environmental impact. In addition, estimates of prefecal mass and turnover time are relevant to exercise performance and certain digestive disorders. As a first step in developing marker methods for field use, a chromic oxide model of fecal kinetics was developed and tested in the context of a digestion balance experiment with stall-fed horses. The model consists of removal of feces at a constant rate from a single compartment, the prefecal mass. Four horses were fed hay, and another four were ...
Hinterhofer C, Stanek C, Binder K.The elastic (E-) modulus of hoof horn samples as a function of moisture content was determined from different segments of the equine hoof. 110 hoof horn specimens with different pigmentation taken from six adult warm-blooded horses with no obvious pathological changes within t he foot were used for the 177 tension and bending tests which were performed in accordance with ASTM D 5026, ASTM D 5023 and DIN 53.457. E-moduli were determined under physiological conditions with mean 761.8, SD +/- 295.4 N/mm for dorsal wall samples, 708 +/- 280.4 N/mm2 for lateral wall samples, 230 +/- 92.4 N/mm2 for ...
Goudet G, Belin F, Bézard J, Gérard N.In the equine species, a large proportion of oocytes fail to complete meiosis during in-vitro culture. The biochemical and molecular basis of this failure is unknown. The meiotic cell cycle is controlled in part by the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In this study, we evaluated the oocyte competence for in-vitro maturation and the expression of MPF components (p34cdc2 and cyclin B) and MAPK after in-vitro culture. The maturation rate was influenced by the culture medium and the physiological stage of the mare at the time of oocyte recovery. We...
Lynch TM, Caron JP, Arnoczky SP, Lloyd JW, Stick JA, Render JA.To evaluate the influence of exogenous hyaluronan (HA) on in vitro synthesis of HA and collagenase by equine synoviocytes from normal and inflamed joints. Methods: 9 adult horses. Methods: Synoviocytes for culture were taken from the middle carpal joint of 3 horses with normal joints (control) and 6 horses with osteochondral fractures (principal). Synoviocytes were propagated in monolayer cultures and were incubated with 3 commercial HA products at concentrations of 0, 200, 400, and 1,500 micrograms/ml. Newly synthesized HA was radiolabeled with [3H]glucosamine and quantified by cetylpyridiniu...
Reubel GH, Kimsey RB, Barlough JE, Madigan JE.We report the experimental transmission of Ehrlichia equi from naturally infected Ixodes pacificus ticks to horses. Three weeks after exposure to ticks, two of three horses developed clinical signs compatible with E. equi infection, while one horse remained asymptomatic. 16S rRNA gene PCR of blood leukocyte lysates was positive for all horses at various time points; two horses seroconverted. The 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified from tick-exposed horses showed more than 99% homology to corresponding fragments of the 16S rRNA genes of E. equi, Ehrlichia phagocytophila, and the human granulocyti...
Barton MH, Bruce EH, Moore JN, Norton N, Anders B, Morris DD.To test efficacy of murine monoclonal, rabbit polyclonal recombinant equine or human tumor necrosis factor-alpha (rETNF or rHTNF, respectively) antibodies to inhibit native equine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity. Methods: 8 and 18 healthy adult horses for parts 1 and 2 of the study, respectively. Methods: In part 1, supernates from endotoxin-activated peritoneal macrophages were incubated with various dilutions of each rETNF antibody and subsequently tested for TNF activity. Serum was also obtained from a horse 1 hour after infusion with 20 ng of endotoxin/kg of body weight and was incuba...
Bruyas JF, Martins-Ferreira C, Fiéni F, Tainturier D.Seventeen horse embryos recovered on the sixth day after spontaneous ovulation were; 1) washed in PBS (n = 6), 2) treated with 1.5 M 1-2 propanediol (n = 6) or, 3) frozen and thawed using 1.5 M propanediol as the cryoprotectant (n = 5). After treatment, the embryos were incubated for 6 h in medium before they were fixed, serially sectioned and examined microscopically to count the total numbers of interphase, mitotic and pycnotic nuclei. Significant differences were measured only in the mean proportions of pycnotic cells (+/- s.d.), both between the control (9.2 +/- 7.3%) and frozen-thawed emb...
Huhtinen M, Lagneaux D, Koskinen E, Palmer E.Seventy-five embryos were collected 6 days after ovulation. Sixty embryos were frozen in straws using glycerol as the cryoprotectant in an automatic freezer. In Experiment 1 the freezing and thawing media were supplemented with 1.3 g/l PVP; in Experiment 2 the supplement was 5% FCS. The embryos were thawed for 30 s at +37 degrees C in a waterbath. In Experiment 1 glycerol was removed from 10 embryos in 6 steps. In 10 other embryos, glycerol and sucrose were both removed from the medium in 6 steps. After glycerol and sucrose removal, the embryos were stained with 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole ...
Lagneaux D, Huhtinen M, Koskinen E, Palmer E.Equine embryos recovered on Day 6 after ovulation were cooled to +4 degrees C, or frozen with AFP alone or together with glycerol. Twenty embryos (140-200 microm in diameter) were randomly assigned to 6 treatment groups. In the first 3 groups, the embryos were cooled from room temperature to +4 degrees C at a rate of 3 degrees C/min and warmed again at a rate of 32 degrees C/min in a programmable freezer. In the second 3 groups, the embryos were frozen using a standard protocol, stored in liquid nitrogen for 5-7 days and then thawed in a 37 degrees C waterbath. After cooling/warming or freezin...
Baptiste KE.The equine guttural pouch is a large, air-filled diverticulum of the auditory tube whose function is not clear. Since the horse does not possess a known, well-developed brain-cooling mechanism that could satisfy cerebral thermoregulatory demands, an hypothesis is proposed that respiratory air enters the guttural pouches, when needed, to ventilate and cool the internal carotid arteries (ICA). Experiments were initially carried out on nine cadavers, where blood flow was mimicked with warmed saline propelled by peristaltic pumps. Subsequent experiments were conducted on an anaesthetized horse whe...
Monahan CM, Chapman MR, Taylor HW, French DD, Klei TR.Eighteen mixed-breed, naturally infected ponies ranging in age from 1 to 16 yr and four cyathostome-naïve ponies reared and maintained under parasite-free conditions ranging in age from 1 to 4 yr were used in this study. Naturally-infected ponies were treated with 1 dose of ivermectin (IVM) at 200 micrograms kg-1, followed by a 5-day regimen of oxibendazole (OBZ) at 20 mg kg-1 to remove existing cyathostome burdens; cyathostome-naïve control ponies were treated with IVM alone. The naturally infected ponies were matched on age and gender, then randomly assigned to one of three treatment group...
Hague BA, Honnas CM, Berridge BR, Easter JL.To evaluate the postoperative use of peritoneal lavage for prevention of experimentally induced intraabdominal adhesions in horses. Methods: Areas of serosal abrasion were created on the jejunum of 12 horses. Postoperatively, six horses had peritoneal lavage, and six horses did not (controls). The number of adhesions was determined at necropsy 2 weeks after surgery. Methods: 12 horses. Methods: Five sites of jejunal serosal abrasion were created in each horse. A 32 French thoracic catheter was placed into the right ventral aspect of the abdomen before closure of the abdominal incision. Treated...
Sedrish SA, Moore RM, Kelly K, Martin GS, Burba DJ.To determine and compare the in vitro pullout strength of 5.5-mm cortical versus 6.5-mm cancellous bone screws inserted in the diaphysis and metaphysis of adult equine third metacarpal (MCIII) bones, in threaded 4.5-mm cortical bone screw insertion holes that were then overdrilled with a 4.5-mm drill bit to provide information relevant to the selection of a replacement screw if a 4.5-mm cortical screw is stripped. Methods: In vitro pullout tests of 5.5-mm cortical and 6.5-mm cancellous screws in equine MCIII bones. Methods: Two independent cadaver studies each consisting of 14 adult equine MCI...
Matsumura T, Kondo T, Sugita S, Damiani AM, O'Callaghan DJ, Imagawa H.The cell culture-adapted KyA strain of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) has been found to be attenuated in young horses (Matsumura et al., 1996, Vet. Microbiol. 48, 353-365). The KyA strain lacks at least six genes in its genome, including those encoding glycoproteins gE and gI. To elucidate whether EHV-1 glycoproteins gE and gI play a role in viral virulence, we have constructed an EHV-1 recombinant that has the genes encoding both gE and gI deleted from its genome and its revertant. Growth properties of the deletion mutant virus in vitro were compared with those of the parent and the revert...
Hopper SA, Schneider RK, Ratzlaff MH, White KK, Johnson CH.To determine the ability of a full-limb transfixation pin cast to protect the distal portion of the equine forelimb from weight-bearing forces by measuring bone strain in vitro on cadaver limbs loaded in a mechanical testing machine. Methods: 6 forelimbs from 6 horses. Methods: Each limb was instrumented with 3 unidirectional metal foil electrical resistant strain gauges. Gauges were placed on the dorsal aspect of the distal portion of the radius and the mid-dorsal portion of the cortex of the third metacarpal bone and the first phalanx. Each limb was tested 3 times, once supported with a tran...
Haussler KK, McGilvray KC, Ayturk UM, Puttlitz CM, Hills AE, McIlwraith CW.Sacroiliac joint injuries can cause poor performance; however, the interaction between pelvic mechanics and the sacroiliac joint is poorly understood. Objective: To measure pelvic displacement during 3D sacroiliac joint loading. Methods: Nine reflective triads were attached rigidly to bony prominences in sacropelvic specimens harvested from 14 horses for stereophotogrammetric analysis of triad displacements and joint kinematics. The sacrum was coupled to a load cell and mounted vertically within a material testing system (MTS). A pneumatic actuator was used to apply 90 Nm moments to the ischia...
Galey FD, Beasley VR, Schaeffer D, Davis LE.An aqueous extract was made from black walnut (Juglans nigra) heartwood obtained in the fall of the year. Ten hours after nasogastric administration of 5 L of the extract, a 550-kg, 13-yr-old Quarter Horse gelding experienced Obel grade-3 laminitis. The effect of aqueous extract of black walnut on vascular contractility was then tested, using isolated equine digital arteries and veins. The vessels were maintained in Krebs bicarbonate buffer with 95% oxygen at 37 C. The extract did not induce a direct contractile effect. It did, however, reversibly enhance the vasoconstriction induced in the is...
Rankins EM, Manso Filho HC, Malinowski K, McKeever KH.Horses' muscular tension during acute stress remains unexplored. Our aim was to assess muscular, behavioral, cortisol, and hematocrit responses to social isolation (ISO), novel object exposure (NOV), and sham clipping (CLIP). Altered stress responses were expected. Eight mature Standardbred horses (four mares and four geldings) were exposed to acute stressors and a control period (CON) in a balanced, replicated 4×4 Latin Square experimental design with 3 min treatment periods and 10 min washout periods. Surface electromyography collected from the masseter, brachiocephalas, cervical trapeziu...
Hammer C, Gunkelman M.The objective of this study was to examine changes in surface temperature of blanketed horses during cold weather. Four mature stock-type horses were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Treatments included 3 different blanket weights (based on g of fiberfill): light weight (LW; 0 g), medium weight (MW; 200 g), heavy weight (HW; 400 g), and a nonblanketed control (CON). Thermographic images were obtained from a standardized lumbar location before blanketing and immediately after cold exposure. During cold exposure, horses were outside with ad libitum access to grass hay and water for 1 h...
Williams T, Rude B, Liao S, Mochal-King C, Nicodemus M.The objective of this study was to observe how fat incorporated into an equine forage-based diet through supplementation altered levels of plasma glucose, insulin and fatty acids. Five Shetland/Hackney cross pony mares were fed alfalfa pellet diets top dressed with commercially available vegetable oil (blend of soya bean, canola and corn oils) at 0%, 5%, 10% or 15% of diet. Ponies were randomly assigned one of four diets to start, with a 14-day adjustment period between transitioning to another one of the four diets. Ponies were gradually adapted to the new diet within the 14-day period before...
Sayers DE, Theil EC, Rennick FJ.Cell-specific variations in apoferritin structure correlate with variations in iron metabolism that suggest functional specificity of the protein shell. Using EPR spectroscopy, we previously showed that vanadyl binds to specific sites on apoferritin, and that VO2+ binding is reduced by Fe(II) and Fe(III) (the natural substrates) and by metals known to influence iron storage (Chasteen, N. D., and Theil, E. C. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 7672-7677). Such observations suggest that the metal-binding site is important to apoferritin function and may define a location where the influence of cell-spec...
Bakala A, Karlik W, Wiechetek M.In this study a detailed description of the equine hepatocyte isolation procedure is presented. Livers were obtained from horses slaughtered at the local slaughterhouse. For blood removal and liver preservation the following steps are suggested: perfusion with the oxygenated HBSS (0-2 degrees C, with continuous flow of 500-800 ml/min for 3-6 min), protection from ischemia injury by flushing with ice-cold University of Wisconsin Solution (UW, flow rate of 500-800 ml/min), and finally immersion of the liver lobe in UW solution (2 degrees C) during its transport to the laboratory. For equine isol...
Mamede FV, Laus JL, Cabral VP, Vicenti FA, Barbieri-Neto J.To possibly reduce postoperative adhesions that occur after ocular myoplasties, we investigated the topical effects of 0.04% mitomycin C on the repaired areas of the medial rectus muscle using an equine renal capsule preserved in 98% glycerin for reinforcement of the sutures. Twenty-four rabbits, divided into two groups of 12 animals each [untreated (control) and treated group (MMC)], were submitted to surgical rupture of the medial rectus muscle of one eye and repair of the defect 24 h later with sutures and an equine renal capsule. Post-operative prophylactic treatment of the two groups cons...
Monahan CM, Chapman MR, Taylor HW, French DD, Klei TR.Moxidectin was tested for efficacy in ponies against experimental infections of 56 day Strongylus vulgaris larvae and 11 day Parascaris equorum larvae. Three dosages of moxidectin were tested: 300 micrograms per kg live body weight, 400 micrograms per kg, and 500 micrograms per kg, and the vehicle served as control. Ponies were first infected with 600 S. vulgaris third-stage larvae (L3) on Experiment Day 0 and then with 3000 embryonated P. equorum eggs on Day 45. Moxidectin treatments were administered on Day 56 and necropsy examinations were performed on Day 91. Strongylus vulgaris fourth-sta...
Bailey M, Martin SC, Lloyd S.Immunologic and hematologic responses were examined in 4 ponies with experimentally induced Strongylus vulgaris infection and in 5 helminth-free ponies. Two ponies were inoculated with 200 larvae and 2 were inoculated with 700 larvae of S vulgaris and then were reinoculated with the same numbers of larvae 34 weeks later. Initial response of the ponies inoculated with S vulgaris was S vulgaris antigen-induced lymphocyte response that developed 1.5 to 3 weeks after inoculation and did not persist. Development of antigen-reactive lymphocytes was followed sequentially by a biphasic complement-fixi...
Woodie JB, Ducharme NG, Hackett RP, Erb HN, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV.Dorsal displacement of the soft palate (DDSP) is a common condition in racehorses for which various surgical treatments are often performed. In light of recent findings that suggested the position of the larynx may influence the occurrence of DDSP, we investigated whether a noninvasive mean of affecting the position of the larynx could be effective in the management of DDSP. Objective: An external device (laryngohyoid support; LHS) positioning the larynx in a more rostral and dorsal location and preventing caudal displacement of the basihyoid bone would be effective in preventing DDSP during s...
Minguet G, de la Rebière G, Franck T, Joris J, Serteyn D, Sandersen C.To investigate the effects of the volatile anaesthetic sevoflurane on the release of total and active myeloperoxidase (MPO) by non-stimulated and stimulated polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in whole blood from healthy horses. Methods: In vitro experimental study. Methods: Adult healthy horses. Methods: Samples of whole venous blood were collected and incubated in air or in air plus 2.3% or 4.6% sevoflurane for 1 hour. PMNs were stimulated with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP), with a combination of cytochalasin B (CB) and fMLP or with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Total an...
Robles M, Peugnet PM, Valentino SA, Dubois C, Dahirel M, Aubrière MC, Reigner F, Serteyn D, Wimel L, Couturier-Tarrade A, Chavatte-Palmer P.Following embryo transfer (ET), the size and breed of the recipient mare can affect fetal development and subsequent post natal growth rate and insulin sensitivity in foals. Objective: To investigate placental adaptation in pregnancies where increased or restricted fetal growth was induced through ET between Pony, Saddlebred and Draught horses. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Control Pony (P, n = 21) and Saddlebred (S, n = 28) pregnancies were obtained by artificial insemination. Increased pregnancies were obtained by transferring Pony (P-D, n = 6) and Saddlebred (S-D, n = 8) emb...
Johnston JK, Freeman DE, Gillette D, Soma LR.Sheets of mucosa from the jejunum of healthy horses were mounted in incubation chambers and bathed with Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution. Changes in tissue function and histologic appearance were compared after the following conditions: (1) control conditions for 30 minutes with 95% O2/5% CO2 in the gas phase; (2) same conditions as control, except incubation with superoxide dismutase (300 U/ml) during the last 18 minutes; (3) anoxia for 15 minutes with 95% N2/5% CO2, followed by reoxygenation for 15 minutes; (4) same conditions as 3, except incubation with superoxide dismutase during reoxyge...
Queiroz-Neto A, Zamur G, Carregaro AB, Mataqueiro MI, Salvadori MC, Azevedo CP, Harkins JD, Tobin T.Caffeine is the legal stimulant consumed most extensively by the human world population and may be found eventually in the urine and/or blood of race horses. The fact that caffeine is in foods led us to determine the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of caffeine on the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses and then to quantify this substance in urine until it disappeared. We built two behavioural stalls equipped with juxtaposed photoelectric sensors that emit infrared beams that divide the stall into nine sectors in a 'tic-tac-toe' fashion. Each time a beam was interrupted by a leg of the horse...
Kania M, Mikołajewska D, Marycz K, Kobielarz M.The aim of this research was to assess the effect of diet supplementation with zinc and copper, in different chemical forms (organic and inorganic), on the mechanical properties of the hair of healthy English thoroughbred horses. Hairs were taken from 18 horses which had been fed with oats and hay for a period of 110 days. Twelve of the horses had been additionally given a daily dose of 700 g of highquality 44-ingredients Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. Six of them had received the muesli-containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while the other six horses had receive...
Dobler D, Gerber M, Schmidts TM, Runkel F, Schlupp P.Human nail diseases, mostly caused by fungal infections, are common and difficult to treat. The development and testing of new drugs and drug delivery systems for the treatment of nail diseases is often limited by the lack of human nail material for permeation studies. Animal material is frequently used, but there are only few comparative data on the human nail plate, and there is neither a standardized test design nor a nail bed analogue to study drug uptake into the nail. In this study, a new permeation device was developed for permeation studies, and the permeation behavior of three model s...
Roberts MC, Seawright AA.Colic was induced in horses and ponies following topical or intravenous (iv) administration of amitraz, a formamidine acaricide. The condition was characterised by rapid cessation of intestinal sounds, stasis, extensive impaction and tympany throughout the large colon. Three animals that were necropsied had a faecalith obstructing the proximal small colon aboral to marked colonic impaction. A reproducible and reversible impaction colic syndrome could be induced by an iv injection of 1 mg amitraz/kg body weight in solvent. There were immediate central nervous system and intestinal signs. Large ...
McD￮ LA.Stem cell therapy and cell-based therapies using other progenitor cells are becoming the treatment of choice for many equine orthopedic lesions. Important criteria for obtaining autogenous equine progenitor cells in vitro for use in clinical cell-based therapy include the ability to isolate and expand cells repeatedly to high numbers (millions) required for therapy, in a clinically relevant time frame. Cells must also maintain their ability to differentiate into the tissue type of choice. The objective of this study was to compare isolation and expansion techniques for preparation of periostea...
Ball BA, Altschul M, Ellington JE.This study compared the in vitro development of Day-2 equine embryos co-cultured with either trophoblastic vesicles or oviductal explants. Embryos were collected surgically from the oviducts of pony mares 2 d after ovulation and assessed for stage of development. Culture medium was Ham's F12 and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (50:50 v/v) in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO(2) in air at 38.5 degrees C with either trophoblastic vesicles or oviductal explants. The quality score of embryos was assessed daily. After 4 d in culture, embryos were stained (Hoechst 33342) and evaluated with epifluo...
Pietra M, Cinotti S, Ducci A, Giunti M, Peli A.During an 18 day test, we measured the cytokine mRNA expression (Interleukin-1beta [IL-1beta], Interleukin-8 [IL-8], Interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma], Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha [TNF-alpha]) of cells from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [BALF] in five horses previously diagnosed with RAO, before and during challenge exposure, and after the desensitization phase which involved dexamethasone treatment and environmental modification. Simultaneously, the same cytokine mRNA expression of cells from BALF in four asymptomatic RAO-affected horses maintained outdoors was analyzed. An evident respiratory dist...
Gould JC, Rossano MG, Lawrence LM, Burk SV, Ennis RB, Lyons ET.Parascaris equorum generally infects horses less than 18 months old and its pathological effects can be severe. Infection occurs when larvated eggs, present in pastures, paddocks, stalls, and on feeding and watering equipment are ingested. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of windrow composting on the viability of P. equorum eggs at a cooperating central Kentucky horse farm. Three grams of feces containing 2216 P. equorum eggs per gram were sealed in filter bag sentinel chambers. Chambers were exposed to 1 of 3 treatments: constant exposure or intermittent exposure to the in...
Sharp DC, Grubaugh WR, Weithenauer J, Davis SD, Wilcox CJ.These experiments tested the hypothesis that administration of steroid hormones to ovariectomized (OVX) mares during the vernal transition to the breeding season would influence LH and FSH secretion. Circulating gonadotropin concentrations, response to exogenous GnRH, and pituitary gonadotropin content were monitored. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted, beginning 10 March, and 3 February, respectively, utilizing a total of 30 long-term OVX pony mares. In experiment 1, mares were administered vehicle (n = 5) or estradiol-17 beta (E2, n = 5, 5 mg/3 ml sesame oil), twice daily for 16 days. Blood ...
Kamm JL, Goodrich LR, Werpy NM, McIlwraith CW.To describe regions of the thoracic and pelvic limb proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints that are arthroscopically accessible and identify soft tissue structures that should be avoided during arthroscope and instrument placement. Methods: Experimental ex vivo descriptive study. Methods: Horses (n = 15). Methods: Cadaver limbs (n = 36) were used for anatomic modeling, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with MRI-compatible needles, computed tomography with contrast arthrography, and arthroscopy of the PIP joint. Two arthroscopic approaches to the dorsal joint pouch were compared. Results: With ar...
Moore RM, Venugopalan CS, Sedrish SA, Holmes EP.To determine in vitro contractile responses of equine colonic veins to various vasoconstrictor agents. Methods: Colonic veins collected from 8 adult horses. Methods: Veins were cut into 4-mm-wide rings, placed in organ baths at 37 C, and attached to a force-transducer interfaced with a polygraph; 2 g of tension was applied, and rings were allowed to equilibrate for 45 minutes. Bath solution was replaced, and tension was reapplied at 15-minute intervals. Cumulative concentration responses (10(-8) to 10(-4) M) were determined for each agent, using separate rings (n = 8). Three vein groups were e...
Williams JM, Elce YA, Litsky AS.To (1) compare strain on the dorsal aspect of the proximal phalanx (P1) between 2 types of transfixation pin casts (TPC) and (2) evaluate the change in strain as the pins are removed. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Equine cadaver forelimbs (n = 10 pair). Methods: Each limb of a pair was assigned to 1 of 2 TPC constructs. Construct 1 consisted of a TPC with 2 positive profile, centrally threaded pins placed in the distal aspect of the third metacarpus (MC3) and construct 2 had 4 smooth Steinmann pins placed similarly. A strain gauge was mounted on P1 and axial compression (444.8-5337.9 N) appl...
Strzemienski PJ, Sertich PL, Varner DD, Kenney RM.Stallion semen was diluted in a Hepes-supplemented buffer (CM) (10(6) spermatozoa/ml) and placed in the upper well of a Sykes-Moore chemotaxis chamber. Chambers were incubated in a humidified atmosphere (5% CO2 in air) at 37 degrees C for 1 and 2 h and spermatozoa were allowed to swim through filters with a mean pore size of 3,5 or 8 micron. Spermatozoa entered filters of all three pore sizes. Distance travelled was greater for each increase in pore size (P less than 0.01) but did not differ (P greater than 0.05) between 1 and 2h of incubation. Extended semen from stallions of different fertil...
Mori S, Horita A, Ginnaga A, Miyatsu Y, Sawabe K, Matsumura T, Ato M, Yamamoto A, Shibayama K, Arai S, Yamagishi T, Takahashi M, Taki H, Hifumi T.This is the first report on large-scale experimental production of an equine antivenom against the redback spider (Latrodectus hasseltii) lived in Japan. We captured 10,000 redback spiders in Japan and prepared the toxoids of crude venom extract, mixed the toxoids with a mineral oil adjuvant, and immunized healthy horses repeatedly over a period of several weeks. Thereafter, we separated the horse plasma, purified the γ-globulin fraction, and stocked it as a purified antivenom concentrate. Consequently, we manufactured approximately 6,500 vials of a single-dose freeze-dried test lot from a po...
Janicka W, Wilk I, Próchniak T, Janczarek I.Virtual fencing is an innovative alternative to conventional fences. Different systems have been studied, including electric-impulse-free systems. We tested the potential of self-applied acoustic stimulus in deterring the horses from further movement. Thirty warmblood horses were individually introduced to a designated corridor leading toward a food reward (variant F) or a familiar horse (variant S). As the subject reached a distance of 30, 15 or 5 m from a finish line, an acute alarming sound was played. Generally, a sudden and unknown sound was perceived by horses as a threat causing an incr...
Zhang B, Wilson PE, Watt GD.Ferritin catalyzes the oxidation of Fe2+ by O2 to form a reconstituted Fe3+ oxy-hydroxide mineral core, but extensive studies have shown that the Fe2+ to O2 stoichiometry changes with experimental conditions. At Fe2+ to horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) ratios greater than 200, an upper limit of Fe2+ to O2 of 4 is typically measured, indicating O2 is reduced to 2H2O. In contrast, a lower limit of Fe2+ to O2 of approximately 2 is measured at low Fe2+ to HoSF ratios, implicating H2O2 as a product of Fe2+ deposition. Stoichiometric amounts of H2O2 have not been measured, and H2O2 is proposed to react ...
