In vitro research involving horses refers to the study of equine cells, tissues, or biological molecules outside their normal biological context, typically in controlled laboratory environments. This research approach allows scientists to investigate cellular processes, molecular interactions, and the effects of various treatments without the ethical and logistical complexities of in vivo studies. In vitro studies contribute to understanding equine physiology, pathology, and pharmacology by providing insights into cellular responses to pathogens, drugs, and other stimuli. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various in vitro methodologies and their applications in equine science, including cell culture techniques, molecular assays, and drug efficacy testing.
Aguiar C, Therrien J, Lemire P, Segura M, Smith LC, Theoret CL.Skin trauma in horses often leads to the development of chronic nonhealing wounds that lack a keratinocyte cover, vital for healing. Reports in mouse and man confirm the possibility of generating functional keratinocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), thus presenting myriad potential applications for wound management or treatment of skin disease. Similarly, differentiation of equine iPSC (eiPSC) into a keratinocyte lineage should provide opportunities for the advancement of veterinary regenerative medicine. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop an efficient method fo...
Kwok WH, Leung GN, Wan TS, Curl P, Schiff PJ.Androsta-1,4,6-triene-3,17-dione (ATD) is an irreversible steroidal aromatase inhibitor and is marketed as a supplement. It has been reported to effectively reduce estrogen biosynthesis and significantly increase the levels of endogenous steroids such as dihydrotestosterone and testosterone in human. ATD abuses have been reported in human sports. Its metabolism in human has been studied, and the in vitro metabolic study of ATD in horses has been reported, however, little is known about its biotransformation and elimination in horses. This paper describes the in vitro and in vivo metabolism stu...
Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Lee EA.Studies with facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens have shown that evaluation of the bactericidal activity of antimicrobial agents against intracellular bacteria is more closely associated with in vivo efficacy than traditional in vitro susceptibility testing. The objective of this study was to determine the relative activity of 10 antimicrobial agents against intracellular Rhodococcus equi. Equine monocyte-derived macrophages were infected with virulent R. equi and exposed to erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin, rifampin, ceftiofur, gentamicin, enrofloxacin, vancomycin, imipene...
Sanders RE, Kearney CM, Buckley CT, Jenner F, Brama PA.To evaluate knot security for 3 knot types created in 3 commonly used 5 metric suture materials incubated in physiological and pathological fluids. Methods: In vitro mechanical study. Methods: Knotted suture loops (n = 5/group). Methods: Loops of 3 different suture materials (glycolide/lactide copolymer; polyglactin 910; polydioxanone) were created around a 20 mm rod using 3 knot types (square [SQ], surgeon's [SK], and triple knot [TK]) and were tested to failure in distraction (6 mm/min) after tying (day 0) and after being incubated for 14 and 28 days in phosphate buffered saline (PBS...
Gomes RG, Lisboa LA, Silva CB, Max MC, Marino PC, Oliveira RL, González SM, Barreiros TR, Marinho LS, Seneda MM.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different concentrations of ascorbic acid (25, 50, and 100 μg/mL) in supplemented minimum essential medium (MEM+) on the development of equine preantral follicles that were cultured in vitro for 2 or 6 days. The contralateral ovaries (n = 5) from five mares in seasonal anestrus were collected from a local abattoir. Nine ovarian tissue fragments of approximately 5 × 5 × 1 mm were obtained from each animal. One fragment was immediately fixed and subjected to histologic analysis (control group; Day 0), and the other eight were placed in PBS ...
Collins JA, Moots RJ, Clegg PD, Milner PI.Mature articular cartilage is an avascular tissue characterized by a low oxygen environment. In joint disease, acidosis and further reductions in oxygen levels occur, compromising cartilage integrity.This study investigated how acidosis and very low oxygen levels affect components of the cellular redox system in equine articular chondrocytesand whether the antioxidants resveratrol and N-acetylcysteine could modulate this system. We used articular chondrocytes isolated from nondiseased equine joints and cultured them in a 3-D alginate bead system for 48h in <1, 2, 5, and 21% O2 at pH 7.2 or ...
Ríos DL, López C, Carmona JU.The aims were as follows: (1) to evaluate the effects at 48 and 96 h of two concentrations (25 and 50%) of leukocyte and platelet-rich gel (L-PRG) and pure PRG (P-PRG) supernatants on the production/degradation in normal equine synovial membrane explants (SME) of platelet derived growth factor isoform BB, transforming growth factor beta-1, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL-) 4 (IL-4), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), and hyaluronan (HA) synthesis and (2) to correlate these molecules with their respective PRG supernatant treatments. SME from 6 horses were cultured for 96 h with...
Cox L, Vanderwall DK, Parkinson KC, Sweat A, Isom SC.There is compelling evidence that oocytes from mares >18 years of age have a high incidence of inherent defects that result in early embryonic loss. In women, an age-related decrease in oocyte quality is associated with an increased incidence of aneuploidy and it has recently been determined that the gene expression profile of human oocytes is altered with advancing age. We hypothesised that similar age-related aberrations in gene expression occur in equine oocytes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare gene expression profiles of individual oocytes and cumulus cells from y...
Singer E, Garcia T, Stover S.Sagittal fractures of the proximal phalanx (P1) in the racehorse appear to be associated with turf racing surfaces, which are known to restrict forward slide of the foot at impact. We hypothesized that restriction of forward foot slip would result in higher P1 bone strains during metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ) hyperextension. Unilateral limbs from six equine cadavers were instrumented with strain gauges and bone reference markers to measure dorsoproximal P1 bone strains and MCPJ extension, collateromotion and axial rotation during in vitro limb loading to 10,500 N. By limiting movement of th...
Nazari F, Parham A, Maleki AF.Quantitative real time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is one of the most important techniques for gene-expression analysis in molecular based studies. Selecting a proper internal control gene for normalizing data is a crucial step in gene expression analysis via this method. The expression levels of reference genes should be remained constant among cells in different tissues. However, it seems that the location of cells in different tissues might influence their expression. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has any effect on exp...
Russell KA, Koch TG.Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are often culture-expanded in vitro. Presently, expansion medium (EM) for MSC is supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). However, increasing cost, variable composition and potential risks associated with bovine antigens call for alternatives. Platelet lysate (PL) has shown promise as an alternative supplement. Objective: To determine how equine umbilical cord blood (CB) MSC proliferate in EM enriched with PL or FBS at various concentrations. Methods: Randomised dose escalation study. Methods: Platelet concentrate was generated from 5 equine whol...
Nicpoń J, Siudzińska A, Marędziak M, Śmieszek A, Basińska K, Koszykowska M.The influences of NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs)--non-selective metamizole and selectively-acting tolfenamic acid were estimated on morphology, ultrastructure, and cytophysiological activity of canine (Ca) and equine (Eq) adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs). The lowest concentration of metamizole (0.01 mg/mL) stimulated the viability and cytophysiological activity of Ca ASCs and did not affect cell morphology. Stimulated cells possessed a proper, fibroblastic shape, with large, eccentrically located nuclei. Similar effects to those observed in Ca ASCs were found in Eq ...
Hunter BG, Duesterdieck-Zellmer KF, Larson MK.Anecdotal accounts of tiludronate administration via intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) exist despite a lack of information regarding safety for synovial structures in the perfused area. The objective of this study was to determine whether tiludronate concentrations in synovial structures after IVRLP with low dose (0.5 mg, LDT) or high dose (50 mg, HDT) tiludronate remain below a value demonstrated in vitro to be safe for articular cartilage (<19,000 ng/ml), and to determine effects of tiludronate on synovial fluid cytology variables compared to saline perfused control limbs. Using...
Rizk MA, El-Sayed SA, Terkawi MA, Youssef MA, El Said el Sel S, Elsayed G, El-Khodery S, El-Ashker M, Elsify A, Omar M, Salama A, Yokoyama N....A rapid and accurate assay for evaluating antibabesial drugs on a large scale is required for the discovery of novel chemotherapeutic agents against Babesia parasites. In the current study, we evaluated the usefulness of a fluorescence-based assay for determining the efficacies of antibabesial compounds against bovine and equine hemoparasites in in vitro cultures. Three different hematocrits (HCTs; 2.5%, 5%, and 10%) were used without daily replacement of the medium. The results of a high-throughput screening assay revealed that the best HCT was 2.5% for bovine Babesia parasites and 5% for equ...
Tessier L, Bienzle D, Williams LB, Koch TG.Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have attracted interest for their cytotherapeutic potential, partly due to their immunomodulatory abilities. The aim of this study was to test the robustness of our equine cord blood (CB) MSC isolation protocol, to characterize the CB-MSC before and after cryopreservation, and to evaluate their immunosuppressive phenotype. We hypothesized that MSC can be consistently isolated from equine CB, have unique and reproducible marker expression and in vitro suppress lymphoproliferation. Preliminary investigation of constitutive cytoplasmic Toll-like recepto...
Svala E, Löfgren M, Sihlbom C, Rüetschi U, Lindahl A, Ekman S, Skiöldebrand E.The molecular aspects of inflammation were investigated in equine articular cartilage explants using quantitative proteomics. Articular cartilage explants were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1β in vitro for 25 days, and proteins released into cell culture media were chemically labeled with isobaric mass tags and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 127 proteins were identified and quantified in media from explants. IL-1β-stimulation resulted in an abundance of proteins related to inflammation, including matrix metalloproteinases, acute phase proteins, comp...
Meulenbroeks C, van der Lugt JJ, van der Meide NM, Willemse T, Rutten VP, Zaiss DM.The immunological mechanisms explaining development of an allergy in some individuals and not in others remain incompletely understood. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is a common, seasonal, IgE-mediated, pruritic skin disorder that affects considerable proportions of horses of different breeds, which is caused by bites of the insect Culicoides obsoletus (C. obsoletus). We investigated the allergen-specific immune status of individual horses that had either been diagnosed to be healthy or to suffer of IBH. Following intradermal allergen injection, skin biopsies were taken of IBH-affected an...
Remacha AR, Barrachina L, Álvarez-Arguedas S, Ranera B, Romero A, Vázquez FJ, Zaragoza P, Yañez R, Martín-Burriel I, Rodellar C.The immunomodulatory capacities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have made them the subject of increased clinical interest for tissue regeneration and repair. We have studied the immunomodulatory capacity of equine MSCs derived from bone marrow (BM-MSCs) and adipose tissue (AT-MSCs) in cocultures with allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Different isoforms and concentrations of phytohaemaglutinin (PHA) were tested to determine the best stimulation conditions for PBMC proliferation and a proliferation assay was performed for 7 days to determine the optimal day of stimulation o...
Moraes EA, Matos WC, Graham JK, Ferrari WD.This study was to compare the effect of adding cholesterol or cholestanol loaded cyclodextrins in stallion sperm prior to cryopreservation to optimize sperm cryosurvival. Ejaculates from each of eight stallions were diluted to 120 million cells in a S-MEDIUM diluent. The diluted sperm were sub-divided into three treatments: no additive (control); 0.75mg of cyclodextrin pre-loaded with cholesterol (CLC)/120 million sperm (positive control); 1.5mg CLC/120 million sperm; 0.75mg of cyclodextrin pre-loaded with cholestanol (CnLC)/120 million sperm; and 1.5mg CnLC/120 million sperm. To set the exper...
Williamson KA, Lee KJ, Humphreys WJ, Comerford EJ, Clegg PD, Canty-Laird EG.The aim of this study was to characterize stem and progenitor cell populations from the equine superficial digital flexor tendon, an energy-storing tendon with similarities to the human Achilles tendon, which is frequently injured. Using published methods for the isolation of tendon-derived stem/progenitor cells by low-density plating we found that isolated cells possessed clonogenicity but were unable to fully differentiate towards mesenchymal lineages using trilineage differentiation assays. In particular, adipogenic differentiation appeared to be restricted, as assessed by Oil Red O stainin...
Hendriks WK, Colleoni S, Galli C, Paris DB, Colenbrander B, Roelen BA, Stout TA.Advanced maternal age and in vitro embryo production (IVP) predispose to pregnancy loss in horses. We investigated whether mare age and IVP were associated with alterations in mitochondrial (mt) DNA copy number or function that could compromise oocyte and embryo development. Effects of mare age (<12 vs ≥12 years) on mtDNA copy number, ATP content and expression of genes involved in mitochondrial replication (mitochondrial transcription factor (TFAM), mtDNA polymerase γ subunit B (mtPOLB) and mitochondrial single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB)), energy production (ATP synthase-couplin...
Sales KG, Costa PL, de Morais RC, Otranto D, Brandão-Filho SP, Cavalcanti Mde P, Dantas-Torres F.Phlebotomine sand flies are blood-feeding insects of great medical and veterinary significance acting as vectors of Leishmania parasites. Studying the blood-feeding pattern of these insects may help in the understanding of their interactions with potential reservoir hosts of Leishmania parasites. In this study, we developed real time PCR assays for the identification of sand fly blood meal. Methods: Six pairs of primers were designed based on cytochrome b gene sequences available in GenBank of the following potential hosts: dog, cat, horse, chicken, black rat, and human. Firstly, SYBR Green-ba...
Bussche L, Harman RM, Syracuse BA, Plante EL, Lu YC, Curtis TM, Ma M, Van de Walle GR.The prevalence of impaired cutaneous wound healing is high and treatment is difficult and often ineffective, leading to negative social and economic impacts for our society. Innovative treatments to improve cutaneous wound healing by promoting complete tissue regeneration are therefore urgently needed. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been reported to provide paracrine signals that promote wound healing, but (i) how they exert their effects on target cells is unclear and (ii) a suitable delivery system to supply these MSC-derived secreted factors in a controlled and safe way is unavailabl...
Janssen IJ, Krücken J, Demeler J, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G.P-glycoproteins (Pgps) are suspected to mediate drug extrusion in nematodes contributing to macrocyclic lactone resistance. This association was recently shown for Parascaris Pgp-11. Ivermectin resistance was correlated with the presence of three pgp-11 single nucleotide polymorphisms and/or increased pgp-11 mRNA levels. In the present study, the ability of Pgp-11 to modulate ivermectin susceptibility was investigated by its expression in a pgp-11-deficient Caenorhabditis elegans strain. Expression of Parascaris pgp-11 in two transgenic lines significantly decreased ivermectin susceptibility i...
Choi YH, Ross P, Velez IC, Macías-García B, Riera FL, Hinrichs K.Equine embryos develop in vitro in the presence of high glucose concentrations, but little is known about their requirements for development. We evaluated the effect of glucose concentrations in medium on blastocyst development after ICSI. In experiment 1, there were no significant differences in rates of blastocyst formation among embryos cultured in our standard medium (DMEM/F-12), which contained >16 mM glucose, and those cultured in a minimal-glucose embryo culture medium (<1 mM; Global medium, GB), with either 0 added glucose for the first 5 days, then 20 mM (0-20) or 20 mM for th...
Hillmann A, Ahrberg AB, Brehm W, Heller S, Josten C, Paebst F, Burk J.Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have gained tremendous attention as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of orthopedic diseases. Promising results have been obtained after application of MSCs for treatment of tendon and joint disease in the equine model, making it appear favorable to use these results as a basis for the translational process of the therapy. However, while the horse is considered a highly suitable model for orthopedic diseases, knowledge is lacking regarding the level of analogy of equine MSCs and their human counterparts. Therefore, the aim of this study...
Choi YH, Velez IC, Macías-García B, Hinrichs K.In nuclear transfer (NT), exposure of donor cell chromatin to the ooplast cytoplasm may aid reprogramming; however, the length of exposure feasible is limited by the developmental life span of the oocyte. We examined the effect of duration of nucleus-cytoplasmic exposure before activation and of in vitro maturation (IVM) in equine NT. In experiment 1, 24 h IVM and a delay of 2, 5, or 8 h between reconstruction and activation yielded 4%, 15%, and 11% blastocysts, respectively. In experiment 2, a 5-h activation delay yielded 17% and 22% blastocysts with two donor cell lines. In experiment 3, usi...
Santos MP, Gutierrez-Nibeyro SD, Horn GP, Hicke JD, Stewart MC, Schaeffer DJ.To compare the mechanical properties of laryngeal tie-forward (LTF) constructs prepared with different suture materials and suture placement patterns during single load to failure testing. Methods: Larynges harvested from 50 horse cadavers and 5 intact horse cadavers. Methods: In vitro LTF constructs were created by a standard technique with polyester sutures, a standard technique with polyethylene sutures, a modified technique with metallic implants and polyester sutures, a modified technique with metallic implants and polyethylene sutures, or a modified tie-off technique with polyester sutur...
Gonzalez LM, Kinnin LA, Blikslager AT.To characterize epithelial cells of the small intestine and colon in horses without clinical gastrointestinal abnormalities with an emphasis on the stem cell niche constituents. Methods: Mucosal biopsy specimens from small and large intestines obtained from 12 horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to gastrointestinal disease or systemic disease. Methods: Intestinal biopsy specimens were collected by sharp dissection immediately following euthanasia. Specimens were prepared for immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopic imaging to detect and characterize ea...
Human rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and children under the age of 5 years in both developed and developing countries. Human lactadherin, a milk fat globule membrane glycoprotein, inhibits human rotavirus infection in vitro, whereas bovine lactadherin is not active. Moreover, it protects breastfed infants against symptomatic rotavirus infections. To explore the potential antiviral activity of lactadherin sourced by equines, we undertook a proteomic analysis of milk fat globule membrane proteins from donkey milk and elucidated its amino acid sequence. Alignm...
Khaing EM, Hurtado PR, Hurtado E, Zaw A, White J, Warrell DA, Alfred S, Mahmood MA, Peh CA.Snakebite envenoming is a serious problem in Myanmar. The great majority of snakebite in this country is due to Russell's Viper (Daboia siamensis). For many years, the Burma Pharmaceutical Industry has produced a monovalent antivenom to Russell's Viper in horses. At present, the only way of determining the level of antibody against D. siamensis venom in hyperimmune horse serum is to perform venom neutralisation tests in mice. In this study, we describe the development of an in vitro ELISA assay to estimate neutralising capacity of horse serum. We found a strong correlation between the ELISA as...
Choi YH, Love CC, Love LB, Varner DD, Brinsko S, Hinrichs K.This study was undertaken to evaluate the development of equine oocytes in vitro and in vivo after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with either fresh or frozen-thawed spermatozoa, without the use of additional activation treatments. Oocytes were collected from ovaries obtained from an abattoir and oocytes classified as having expanded cumulus cells were matured in M199 with 10% fetal bovine serum and 5 microU FSH ml(-1). After 24-26 h of in vitro maturation, oocytes with a first polar body were selected for manipulation. Fresh ejaculated stallion spermatozoa were used for the experiment...
Broadstone RV, LeBlanc PH, Derksen FJ, Robinson NE.The in vitro contractile and relaxant responses of tracheal smooth muscle strips (TSM) and third-generation bronchi (3B) of control horses and horses with recurrent obstructive disease (heaves) were compared. Acetylcholine (ACH) sensitivity of the diseased tissues was less than that of tissues from control horses, especially at the level of the third generation (EC50 controls 15 +/- 11 microM vs 81 +/- 17 microM for heaveys). Despite tracheal and bronchial hyporesponsiveness to ACH, these tissues from heavey horses were hyperresponsive to EFS. The inhibitory effect of isoproterenol and electri...
Van Eeden C, Zaayman D, Venter M.Recently Shuni virus (SHUV) has been identified in clinical cases of neurological disease in horses in South Africa. Being that it was one of the less recognized orthobunyaviruses, with limited clinical descriptions of disease dating back to the 1960s and 1970s, SHUV-specific assays were never developed. In this study, the development of a nested real-time PCR assay is described for the detection of SHUV by means of melt-curve analysis using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probe technology. The assay was validated against previously positive clinical specimens and a dilution seri...
Jayne S, Kerfelec B, Foglizzo E, Chapus C, Crenon I.The physiological role of the two lipase-related proteins, PLRP1 and PLRP2, still remains obscure although some propositions have been made concerning PLRP2. In this paper, we report the presence of high amounts of PLRP2 in adult horse pancreas whereas no PLRP1 could be detected. As well, a non-parallel expression of PLRP2 and PLRP1 is observed in adult cat and dog, since no PLRP2 could be detected in these two species. In adult ox, neither PLRP2 nor PLRP1 could be found. These findings are in favor of a different regulation of the expression of the genes encoding pancreatic lipase and the rel...
Horohov DW, Breathnach CC, Sturgill TL, Rashid C, Stiltner JL, Strong D, Nieman N, Holland RE.While immune modulators are used routinely in equine medicine, their mechanism of action is not always known. Objective: To determine the effect of a commercial preparation of inactivated parapoxvirus ovis (Orf virus; PPVO) on cytokine gene expression by equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: PBMC were prepared from 6 mixed-breed yearlings and cultured in vitro with PPVO with or without Concanavalin A (Con A) for 24 h. Effects on the expression of IFNalpha, IFNbeta IFNgamma, TNFalpha and IL-18 were analysed by real time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR). I...
Nürnberger S, Meyer C, Ponomarev I, Barnewitz D, Resinger C, Klepal W, Albrecht C, Marlovits S.Treatment of cartilage defects poses challenging problems in human and veterinary medicine, especially in horses. This study examines the suitability of applying scaffold materials similar to those used for human cartilage regeneration on equine chondrocytes. Chondrocytes gained from biopsies of the talocrural joint of three horses were propagated in 2D culture and grown on two different scaffold materials, hyaluronan (HYAFF®) and collagen (BioGide®), and evaluated by light and electron microscopy. The equine chondrocytes developed well in both types of materials. They were vital and physiol...
Sjostrom L, al-Abdulla IH, Rawat S, Smith DC, Landon J.Commercial antivenoms produced in horses were compared with monospecific antivenoms raised in sheep against Crotalus durissus terrificus, Crotalus atrox, Crotalus adamanteus, Micrurus fulvius fulvius, Naja naja, Naja kaouthia, Echis ocellatus, Vipera lebetina deserti, Vipera berus berus and Vipera ammodytes ammodytes venom. Antibodies raised by immunizing sheep with C. d. terrificus venom were more effective than their equine counterparts in preventing lethal toxicity in mice (ED50), in inhibiting the venom's pharmacological effects (haemolysis, platelet aggregation and coagulation), and in ne...
Martoriati A, Caillaud M, Goudet G, Gérard N.Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) inhibits the LH-induced resumption of meiosis of equine oocytes in vitro. The present study was performed to clarify this inhibitory effect of IL-1 beta by testing increasing concentrations of IL-1 beta, and by measuring the effect of addition of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) to the culture medium. The effect of IL-1 beta on epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced resumption of meiosis was also studied. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from subordinate follicles on ovaries obtained from an abattoir. In five distinct experiments, COCs were cultured...
Bełżecki G, Miltko R, Michałowski T, McEwan NR.This paper describes cultivation methods for ciliates from the digestive tract of horses. Members of three different genera were successfully grown in vitro for short periods of time. However, only cells belonging to the genus Blepharocorys, which resides in the horse's large intestine, were maintained for longer periods. This Blepharocorys culture was successfully grown in vitro after inoculation of freshly excreted horse faeces in culture medium containing a population of bacteria. The ciliates survived for over six months, and the density of their population varied between 1.7 × 10(3) and ...
Griffon DJ, Cho J, Wagner JR, Charavaryamath C, Wei J, Wagoner Johnson A.Chitosan opens new perspectives in regenerative medicine as it enhances the properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) through formation of spheroids. Hypoxia has also been proposed to enhance stemness and survival of MSCs after in vivo implantation. These characteristics are relevant to the development of an off-the-shelf source of allogenic cells for regenerative therapy of tendinopathies. Umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UCM-MSCs) offer an abundant source of immature and immunoprivileged stem cells. In this study, equine UCM-MSCs (eqUCM-MSCs) conditioned for 3 and 7 days on chitosan films at 5...
Jiménez-Aristazábal RF, Carmona JU, Prades M.The aims of the present study were (1) to describe the microscopic and ultrastructural appearance of equine platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) clots and (2) to determine the release and degradation of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β) and insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I) from PRF clots incubated over 14 days. Whole blood from six horses was collected into plain tubes and centrifuged at 240 g for 8 minutes. Clots were evaluated by histology and by both transmission and scanning electronic microscopy (TEM and SEM). Growth factor concentrations were measured by ELISA at 48-hour inter...
Wetz K, Crichton RR.In apoferritin, but not in ferritin, 1.0 +/- 0.1 cysteine residue per subunit can be modified. In ferritin 3.3 +/- 0.3 lysine residues and 7.1 +/- 0.7 carboxyl groups per subunit can be modified, whilst the corresponding values for apoferritin are 4.4 +/- 0.4 lysine residues and 11.0 +/- 0.4 carboxyl groups per subunit. Modification of lysine residues which maleic anhydride and carboxyl groups with glycineamide in apoferritin which has been dissociated and denatured in guanidine hydrochloride leads to the introduction of 9.1 +/- 0.5 maleyl groups per subunit and 22.0 +/- 0.9 glycineamide resid...
Barber MR, Fayrer-Hosken RA.Ecological and conservation programs in ecosystems around the world have experienced varied success in population management. One of the greatest problems is that human expansion has led to the shrinking of wildlife habitat and, as a result, the overpopulation of many different species has occurred. The pressures exerted by the increased number of animals has caused environmental damage. The humane and practical control of these populations has solicited the scientific community to arrive at a safe, effective, and cost-efficient means of population control. Immunocontraception using zona pellu...
Ko WH, O'Dowd JJ, Pediani JD, Bovell DL, Elder HY, Jenkinson DM, Wilson SM.Changes in intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were monitored in a cell line that was derived from the equine sweat gland epithelium. ATP and closely related compounds could increase [Ca2+]i with a rank order of potency of UTP > or = ATP > ADP >> AMP = adenosine = alpha,beta-methylene-ATP. The responses to ATP and to UTP were initiated by the release of calcium from an internal store and subsequently sustained by calcium influx. The rise in [Ca2+]i thus seems to be mediated by P2U receptors that are coupled to phosphoinositidase C. Some desensitisation of this respon...
Warnock JJ, Fox DB, Stoker AM, Beatty M, Cockrell M, Janicek JC, Cook JL.Introduction. Tissue engineering is a new methodology for addressing meniscal injury or loss. Synovium may be an ideal source of cells for in vitro meniscal fibrocartilage formation, however, favorable in vitro culture conditions for synovium must be established in order to achieve this goal. The objective of this study was to determine cellularity, cell distribution, and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation of equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) cultured on synthetic scaffolds, for potential application in synovium-based meniscal tissue engineering. Scaffolds included open-cell poly-L-l...
Gaffar FR, Franssen FF, de Vries E.Babesia bovis infections have only been observed in bovine species in contrast to Babesia divergens that also can infect humans, sheep and rodents. Using an in vitro assay that assesses invasion of erythrocytes by free merozoites after a 1-h incubation period, it was shown that specificity is not determined by host-specific interactions associated with invasion. Human erythrocytes were invaded more efficiently than bovine erythrocytes whereas erythrocytes of sheep, pigs and horses were invaded only slightly less efficiently. In contrast, goat erythrocytes were refractory to efficient invasion....
Abs V, Bonicelli J, Kacza J, Zizzadoro C, Abraham G.Interaction between epithelial cells and fibroblasts play a key role in wound repair and remodelling in the asthmatic airway epithelium. We present the establishment of a co-culture model using primary equine bronchial epithelial cells (EBECs) and equine bronchial fibroblasts (EBFs). EBFs at passage between 4 and 8 were seeded on the bottom of 24-well plates and treated with mitomycin C at 80% confluency. Then, freshly isolated (P0) or passaged (P1) EBECs were seeded on the upper surface of membrane inserts that had been placed inside the EBF-containing well plates and grown first under liquid...
Tavela Ade O, de Araújo JV, Braga FR, da Silveira WF, Dornelas e Silva VH, Carretta Júnior M, Borges LA, Araujo JM, Benjamin Ldos A, Carvalho GR....The predatory nematophagous fungi have been used as an alternative control of gastrointestinal nematodes of domestic animals in natural and laboratory conditions. However, it is unclear if the association of some of these species could bring some kind of advantage, from a biological standpoint. In this context, this study consisted of two tests in vitro: in assay A, the assessment of the viability of the association of pellets in sodium alginate matrix containing the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans (AC001) and Monacrosporium thaumasium (NF34) and its predatory activity on infective larvae (L3) of...
Choi YH, Roasa LM, Love CC, Varner DD, Brinsko SP, Hinrichs K.This study was conducted to evaluate in vivo and in vitro development of in vitro-matured equine oocytes fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Oocytes were collected from slaughterhouse-derived ovaries, matured in vitro, and injected with frozen-thawed stallion sperm. In vivo development was assessed after transfer of injected oocytes to the oviducts of recipient mares. Mares were killed 7.5-8.5 days after transfer and the uterus and oviducts flushed for embryo recovery. Of 132 injected oocytes transferred, 69 (52%) were recovered; of these, 25 (36%) were blastocysts with a blastocoe...
Leeb T, Müller EJ, Roosje P, Welle M.Molecular genetics has made significant advances in the analysis of hereditary dermatoses during the last several years. Objective: To provide an update on currently available genetic tests for skin diseases of dogs, cats and horses, and to aid the veterinary clinician in the appropriate selection and applications of genetic tests. Methods: The scientific literature on the topic was critically reviewed. The list of known causative variants for genodermatoses and hair morphology traits was compiled by searching the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) database. Results: Genetic testin...
Cochran JD, Amann RP, Froman DP, Pickett BW.Five experiments evaluated the effects of processing, freezing and thawing techniques on post-thaw motility of equine sperm. Post-thaw motility was similar for sperm frozen using two cooling rates. Inclusion of 4% glycerol extender was superior to 2 or 6%. Thawing in 75 degrees C water for 7 sec was superior to thawing in 37 degrees C water for 30 sec. The best procedure for concentrating sperm, based on sperm motility, was diluting semen to 50 x 10(6) sperm/ml with a citrate-based centrifugation medium at 20 degrees C and centrifuging at 400 x g for 15 min. There was no difference in sperm mo...
Winter RL, Tian Y, Caldwell FJ, Seeto WJ, Koehler JW, Pascoe DA, Fan S, Gaillard P, Lipke EA, Wooldridge AA.Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) may be useful therapeutically in conditions with poor blood supply, such as distal limb wounds in the horse. Encapsulation of ECFCs into injectable hydrogel microspheres may ensure cell survival and cell localization to improve neovascularization and healing. Autologous ECFCs were isolated from 6 horses, labeled with quantum nanodots (QD), and a subset were encapsulated in poly(ethylene) glycol fibrinogen microspheres (PEG-Fb MS). Full-thickness dermal wounds were created on each distal limb and injected with empty PEG-Fb MS, serum, ECFCs, or ECFCs enca...
Gargala G, Le Goff L, Ballet JJ, Favennec L, Stachulski AV, Rossignol JF.Sarcocystis neurona is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The aim of this work was to document inhibitory activities of nitazoxanide (NTZ, [2-acetolyloxy-N-(5-nitro 2-thiazolyl) benzamide]) and new thiazolides/thiadiazolides on S. neurona in vitro development, and investigate their structure-activity relationships. S. neurona was grown in bovine turbinate cell cultures. At concentrations varying from 1.0 to 5.0mg/L, nitazoxanide and 21 of 32 second generation thiazolide/thiadiazolide agents exerted a > or =95% maximum inhibition on S. neuro...
Lange-Consiglio A, Romele P, Magatti M, Silini A, Idda A, Martino NA, Cremonesi F, Parolini O.Equine amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSCs) and their conditioned medium (CM) were evaluated for their ability to inhibit in vitro proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with and without priming. Additionally, AMSC immunogenicity was assessed by expression of MHCI and MHCII and their ability to counteract the in vitro inflammatory process. Horse PBMC proliferation was induced with phytohemagglutinin. AMSC priming was performed with 10 ng/ml of TNF-α, 100 ng/ml of IFN-γ, and a combination of 5 ng/ml of TNF-α and 50 ng/ml of IFN-γ. The CM generated from na...
Lonning SM, Zhang W, Leib SR, McGuire TC.Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) appear to be critical in resolving or reducing the severity of lentivirus infections. Retroviral vectors expressing the Gag/Pr or SU protein of the lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) were constructed and used to evaluate EIAV-specific CTL responses in horses. Three promoters, cytomegalovirus, simian virus SV40, and Moloney murine sarcoma virus (MoMSV) long terminal repeat (LTR), were used, and there was considerable variation in their ability to direct expression of Gag/Pr and SU. Vectors expressing EIAV proteins under the direction of MoMSV LTR and ...
Magnuson NS, Perryman LE, Wyatt CR, Mason PH, Talmadge JE.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from foals with hereditary severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) have morphologic characteristics of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). Attempts to demonstrate cytotoxic activity were without success unless the LGL were incubated with 100 U of human recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL 2)/ml for 24 hr. With rIL 2 incubation, low effector to target ratios (10:1) consistently yielded high levels of cytotoxic activity (30 to 50%) in a standard 4-hr 51Cr-release assay using YAC-1 lymphoma or K562 erythroleukemia cell lines as targets. Monoclonal antibody EqT12 reacted...
Willemen MA, Jacobs MW, Schamhardt HC.An in vitro model was developed and validated in vivo to quantify the attenuation of impact vibrations, transmitted through the lower equine forelimb and to assess the effects of horseshoeing on this attenuation. The transsected forelimbs of 13 horses were equipped with custom-made hollow bone screws in the 4 distal bones, on each of which a tri-axial accelerometer could be mounted. The limbs were then preloaded while the impact was simulated by dropping a weight on the steel plate on which the hoof was resting. At the hoof wall, the distal, middle and proximal phalanx and at the metacarpal bo...
McGuire TC, Zhang W, Hines MT, Henney PJ, Byrne KM.Horses with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) have episodes of viremia and disease; however, most eventually become inapparent carriers. A possible mechanism of control is cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To evaluate CTL in inapparent carriers with low viral loads, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated in vitro with autologous EIAV-infected PBMC and human IL-2 to detect memory CTL (CTLm). In initial studies, three carriers had CTLm and one of these had low-level effector CTL (CTLe). The CTLm were restricted by equine lymphocyte alloantigen-A (ELA-A) locus encoded MHC clas...
Urra JA, Villaroel-Espíndola F, Covarrubias AA, Rodríguez-Gil JE, Ramírez-Reveco A, Concha II.Dopamine is a catecholamine with multiple physiological functions, playing a key role in nervous system; however its participation in reproductive processes and sperm physiology is controversial. High dopamine concentrations have been reported in different portions of the feminine and masculine reproductive tract, although the role fulfilled by this catecholamine in reproductive physiology is as yet unknown. We have previously shown that dopamine type 2 receptor is functional in boar sperm, suggesting that dopamine acts as a physiological modulator of sperm viability, capacitation and motility...
