Inflammation is a biological response of the horse's body to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a complex process that involves the activation of immune cells, the release of inflammatory mediators, and changes in blood flow. In horses, inflammation can manifest in various forms, affecting different tissues and organs, including the joints, respiratory system, and skin. The inflammatory response is an essential component of the horse's immune system, aiming to eliminate the initial cause of cell injury, clear out damaged cells and tissues, and establish tissue repair. This topic page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, effects, and management of inflammation in equine health.
Grages AM, Verhaar N, Pfarrer C, Breves G, Burmester M, Neudeck S, Kästner S.In experimental studies investigating strangulating intestinal lesions in horses, different ischaemia models have been used with diverging results. Therefore, the aim was to comparatively describe ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in a low flow (LF) and no flow (NF) model. Under general anaesthesia, 120 min of jejunal ischaemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion was induced in 14 warmbloods. During ischaemia, blood flow was reduced by 80% (LF, n = 7) or by 100% (NF, n = 7). Intestinal blood flow and oxygen saturation were measured by Laser Doppler fluxmetry and spectrophotometry. Clinical, hi...
Collinet A, Grimm P, Jacotot E, Julliand V.Large intestine barrier disturbances can have serious consequences for the health of horses. The loss of mucosal integrity that leads to increased intestinal permeability may result from a local inflammatory immune response following alterations of the microbiota, known as dysbiosis. Therefore, our research aimed to identify noninvasive biomarkers for studying the intestinal permeability and the local inflammatory immune response in horses. Regarding the biomarkers used in other mammalian species, we measured the concentrations of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), reflected by 3-OH C14, C16, and C18 ...
Crabtree E, Uribe K, Smith SM, Roberts D, Salmon JH, Bower JJ, Song L, Bastola P, Hirsch ML, Gilger BC.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous, painful, and vision threatening disease affecting up to 25% of equine populations worldwide. Current treatments of ERU are non-specific and have many side effects which limits them to short-term use. In order to develop an effective therapy for ERU, we investigated the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy, exploiting a natural immune tolerance mechanism induced by equine interleukin-10 (Equine-IL10). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a single intravitreal (IVT) dose of AAV8-Equine-IL10 gene therapy...
Schmucker S, Preisler V, Marr I, Krüger K, Stefanski V.Domestic horses are currently often subject to management practices that can entail social stressors, which in turn can negatively influence immunocompetence and disease susceptibility. The present study therefore aimed to characterize the number of various blood leukocyte subsets in horses, focusing on two potentially stressful housing environments: changes in group composition and relocation to individual stabling. Immune measurements were conducted before as well as one and eight days after changes were made. They were complemented by an assessment of plasma cortisol concentrations as well ...
Klier J, Fuchs S, Winter G, Gehlen H.Severe equine asthma is the most common globally widespread non-infectious equine respiratory disease (together with its mild and moderate form), which is associated with exposure to hay dust and mold spores, has certain similarities to human asthma, and continues to represent a therapeutic problem. Immunomodulatory CpG-ODN, bound to gelatin nanoparticles as a drug delivery system, were successfully administered by inhalation to severe equine asthmatic patients in several studies. It was possible to demonstrate a significant, sustained, and allergen-independent one-to-eight-week improvement in...
Miagkoff L, Girard CA, St-Jean G, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Laverty S.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of equine lameness. Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are now considered to be promising therapeutic targets in human rheumatology for pain and inflammation, however, little is known about the equine endocannabinoid system. Objective: The primary goal was to assess the presence and expression pattern of CB1 and CB2 in the synovium of healthy joints. A secondary goal was to explore the relationship between the CB expression, degree of synovitis and OA pathology. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: Metacarpophalangeal joints (n = 25) from a tissue bank w...
Ask K, Andersen PH, Tamminen LM, Rhodin M, Hernlund E.This study investigated the relationship between orthopedic pain experienced at rest, and degree of movement asymmetry during trot in horses with induced reversible acute arthritis. Orthopedic pain was assessed with the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS), the Equine Utrecht University Scale of Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-FAP), the Equine Pain Scale (EPS), and the Composite Orthopedic Pain Scale (CPS). Reliability and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and area under the curve (AUC). Unassigned: Eight healthy horses were included in this experimental s...
Cullier A, Cassé F, Manivong S, Contentin R, Legendre F, Garcia Ac A, Sirois P, Roullin G, Banquy X, Moldovan F, Bertoni L, Audigié F, Galéra P....Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative and heterogeneous disease that affects all types of joint structures. Current clinical treatments are only symptomatic and do not manage the degenerative process in animals or humans. One of the new orthobiological treatment strategies being developed to treat OA is the use of drug delivery systems (DDS) to release bioactive molecules over a long period of time directly into the joint to limit inflammation, control pain, and reduce cartilage degradation. Two vasoactive peptides, endothelin-1 and bradykinin, play important roles in OA pathogenesis. In this ...
Koch DW, Berglund AK, Messenger KM, Gilbertie JM, Ellis IM, Schnabel LV.Tendon injury in the horse carries a high morbidity and monetary burden. Despite appropriate therapy, reinjury is estimated to occur in 50-65% of cases. Although intralesional mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has improved tissue architecture and reinjury rates, the mechanisms by which they promote repair are still being investigated. Additionally, reevaluating our application of MSCs in tendon injury is necessary given recent evidence that suggests MSCs exposed to inflammation (deemed MSC licensing) have an enhanced reparative effect. However, applying MSC therapy in this context is limited...
Asin J, Nyaoke AC, Samol MA, Arthur RM, Uzal FA.Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is a common cause of small intestinal colic in horses and may lead to intestinal strangulation. Strangulating intestinal obstruction impairs the gastrointestinal outflow and can lead to secondary gastric rupture and endotoxemia. Clostridioides difficile can cause enterotyphlocolitis with colic in horses of all ages, and the process is commonly referred to as C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Here we report the results of the postmortem examination of a 7-y-old Thoroughbred racehorse with concurrent CDAD, EFE, and gastric rupture that was euthanized follo...
Hobbs KJ, Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, Schultz L, Foote CA.Limited information is available regarding endothelial glycocalyx degradation during sepsis in horses. Plasma syndecan-1 concentrations are increased in consequence of sepsis in other species and have been useful for prognostication. Objective: To determine whether plasma syndecan-1 levels are increased in adult horses affected with sepsis. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Adult horses were assigned to one of three groups based on results of physical and laboratory examinations, clinical diagnosis, and results of previously described SIRS classification: Group 1 horses included he...
Dzięgielewska A, Dunislawska A.Mitochondria are an essential part of most eukaryotic cells. The crucial role of these organelles is the production of metabolic energy, which is converted into ATP in oxidative phosphorylation. They are also involved in and constitute apoptosis, the site of many metabolic processes. Some of the factors that negatively affect mitochondria are stress, excessive exercise, disease, and the aging process. Exercise can cause the release of large amounts of free radicals, inflammation, injury, and stress. All of these factors can contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction, which can consistently lead t...
Steuer AE, Scoggin K, Stewart JC, Barker VD, Adams AA, Loynachan AT, Nielsen MK.This study aimed to collect information on local and systemic inflammatory responses, and goblet cell-associated components, following anthelmintic treatment with moxidectin and ivermectin in horses naturally infected with cyathostomin parasites. Thirty-six horses aged 2-5 years of age were randomly allocated to three groups. Group 1 received ivermectin/praziquantel (0.2 mg/kg), Group 2 received moxidectin/praziquantel (0.4 mg/kg) and Group 3 were untreated controls. Tissue samples from the Cecum, Dorsal and Ventral Colons were used for histopathological evaluation and preserved for RNA is...
Stefanovski D, Robinson MA, Van Eps A.Insulin dysregulation (ID) is the most important risk factor for the development of laminitis in horses and therapies to control it are needed. Objective: To assess the effects of a single dose of the synthetic GLP-1 analog exenatide on postprandial insulin dynamics. We hypothesized that exenatide would improve insulin sensitivity and lower postprandial blood insulin concentrations. Methods: Randomized, crossover, experimental study. Methods: Six horses (3 mares, 3 geldings; 2 with normal insulin regulation [NIR] and 4 with mild ID). Methods: Horses completed both study arms: subcutaneous admi...
Larsen EA, Lack AC, Wassack E.The use of poloxamer 407 gels have been reported in several studies to prolong the release of drugs at the injection site. Oral lesions unrelated to dental disease are rare but may result in ulceration and sequestration of bone. To date, there have been no reports on the use of penicillin G potassium poloxamer 407 gel and its effect on wound healing. The present case report describes the use of a penicillin G potassium poloxamer 407 gel for the treatment of a sublingual abscess involving the mandible in a 20 year old Arabian mare who initially presented with acute onset of dysphagia, hypersali...
Ząbek T, Witarski W, Semik-Gurgul E, Szmatoła T, Kowalska K, Samiec M.Ex vivo expansion of chondrocytes in monolayer (ML) culture for therapeutic purposes is burdened with difficulties related to the loss of cartilaginous phenotype. Epigenetic mechanisms responsible for regulation of gene expression are believed to underlie chondrocyte dedifferentiation. We have inspected the relevance of DNA methylation alterations for passage-related differential expression of NFATC1 gene involved in hard connective tissue turnover and development, NADSYN1 influencing redox metabolism, and JAK3 - an important driver of inflammation. We have assessed relative amount of transcri...
Galecio JS, Escudero E, Badillo E, Marín P.Tildipirosin is a novel semisynthetic macrolide antibiotic exclusively used in veterinary practice to treat respiratory infections. There are no pharmacokinetic or safety information available regarding the use of tildipirosin after intramuscular administration in horses. Thus, the objective of this work was to determine the disposition kinetics of tildipirosin after intravenous (IV) and intramuscular (IM) administration in horses and its potential muscle damage and cardiotoxicity. Six mature, Spanish-breed horses were used in a crossover study with a washout period of 30 days. Tildipirosin (...
Bonhomme D, Werts C.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease affecting all vertebrates. It is caused by species of the genus Leptospira, among which are the highly pathogenic L. interrogans. Different mammals can be either resistant or susceptible to the disease which can present a large variety of symptoms. Humans are mostly asymptomatic after infection but can have in some cases symptoms varying from a flu-like syndrome to more severe forms such as Weil's disease, potentially leading to multiorgan failure and death. Similarly, cattle, pigs, and horses can suffer from acute forms of the disease, including ...
Gunsalus K, Taylor R, Croix N.To report the clinical history, surgical management, and histologic findings of meibomian gland calcification and osseous metaplasia in a horse. Methods: A 21-year-old Selle Français gelding presented with a 9 months history of blepharitis, blepharospasm, and epiphora affecting the right eye. The horse was diagnosed with meibomianitis and impaction with associated granulomas, but not treated surgically for 6 years. Methods: Physical and ophthalmic examinations, and systemic bloodwork were performed. A diamond burr debridement was performed on a corneal ulceration, and meibomian gland nodul...
Boger BL, Manfredi JM, Yob C, Weber PSD, Jacobs CC.Diagnosis of equine septic arthritis is not straightforward, and increasing time between onset, diagnosis, and treatment can have serious consequences for quality of life. Defensins are used in diagnosis of human joint infection. The presence of beta defensins (BDs) in equine synovial fluid and their utility as a biomarker of sepsis has not been investigated; therefore, our objectives were to (1) compare in vitro gene expression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated equine neutrophils to unstimulated neutrophils and (2) compare BD protein expression from normal, aseptically inflamed, and sept...
Verwilghen D, Easley J, Zwick T, Uhlhorn M, Grulke S, Simhofer H, Townsend N, Liyou O, Bodeus F, Zani DD, Vlaminck L, Pearce C, Staszyk C....Suture exostosis is an intriguing and not uncommon pathology that has to be included in the differential diagnosis for horses with swelling of the head. Although several singular case reports have been published, no large case series is available. The aim of this study is to report a multicentric retrospective collection of suture exostosis cases. Data concerning horses with suture exostosis in the facial region were collected retrospectively. Information regarding breed, age, gender, history, imaging findings, initiated treatment, response to treatment and follow up was recorded. One hundred ...
Cota LO, Júnior OS, Oliveira APL, Paz CFR, Maróstica TP, Duarte PC, Leme FOP, Faleiros RR.Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a common condition in horses with gastrointestinal disorders. If not prevented or controlled, SIRS promotes multiple organ dysfunctions that may culminate in serious disabilities or even death. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lithothamnion supplementation on systemic inflammatory response and organ function variables in horses undergoing oligofructose overload (OFO) intake. Twelve healthy horses were randomly divided into control and treated groups. The treated group received Lithothamnion (100 mg/kg bw PO BID) for 7 ...
Jacobs CC, O'Neil E, Prange T.To determine the ability of a commercial cryotherapy system (Game Ready Equine) to cool the metacarpal subcutaneous tissue and the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) in horses. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Six healthy adult horses. Methods: Thermocouples were implanted into the metacarpal subcutaneous tissues and the SDFT of six horses. Two treatments (cryotherapy or cryotherapy with 5-50 mmHg intermittent compression) were randomly assigned to forelimbs and performed for 20 minutes. Temperatures were compared to the target range of 10-19°C and between groups. Results: Only...
Janssen P, Tosi I, Hego A, Maréchal P, Marichal T, Radermecker C.Asthma encompasses a spectrum of heterogenous immune-mediated respiratory disorders sharing a similar clinical pattern characterized by cough, wheeze and exercise intolerance. In horses, equine asthma can be subdivided into severe or moderate asthma according to clinical symptoms and the extent of airway neutrophilic inflammation. While severe asthmatic horses are characterized by an elevated neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways, cough, dyspnea at rest and high mucus secretion, horses with moderate asthma show a milder neutrophilic inflammation, exhibit intolerance to exercise but no...
Christmann U, Page AE, Horohov DW, Adams AA, Chapman SE, Hancock CL, Emery AL, Poovey JR, Hagg C, Ortega Morales SM, Duncan AR, Morgan J, Couetil LL....To perform lipidomic analysis of surfactant and plasma from asthmatic and healthy horses. Methods: 30 horses with clinical signs of asthma and 30 age-matched control horses. Methods: Detailed history, physical examination, CBC, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cytologies were obtained. Asthmatic horses were grouped based on their BALF inflammatory profile: severe equine asthma (SEA), mild equine asthma with neutrophilic airway inflammation (MEA-N), or mild equine asthma with eosinophilic airway inflammation (MEA-E). Each asthma group was assigned its own age-matched control group. Lipid...
Hunyadi L, Chigerwe M, Sundman E.SAA is a commonly used biomarker for measuring acute inflammation in equine practice, and the administration of prophylactic plasma to foals is a routine practice in large breeding farms. Despite this, limited information is available on the values of SAA in healthy or sick neonatal foals following this common procedure. A prospective study was conducted with 31 foals from a veterinary hospital in Texas in one year. Enrolled foals were part of a foaling program, where a prophylactic hyperimmunized plasma was administered 12 h after birth. Blood was collected for SAA measurements at birth and ...
Kinnison T, McGilvray TA, Couëtil LL, Smith KC, Wylie CE, Bacigalupo SA, Gomez-Grau E, Cardwell JM.Current consensus defines mild-moderate equine asthma (mEA; previously inflammatory airway disease) by a hierarchy of indicators of lung pathology: cough, poor performance, increased tracheobronchial mucus, inflammatory bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology and pulmonary dysfunction. Exclusion criteria include fever, systemic disease, or increased resting respiratory effort. The aim of this review was to inform future research by identifying gaps, strengths and weaknesses in the current body of evidence supporting this consensus-proposed definition. Objectives were to critique evidence support...
Sponseller BT, Wong DM, Ruby R, Ware WA, Wilson S, Haynes JS.A 9-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was presented for lethargy, decreased appetite, polyuria and polydipsia (PU/PD), and severe muscle wasting suggestive of immune-mediated myositis. Results: The horse displayed lethargy, fever, tachyarrhythmia, inappetence, PU/PD, and severe epaxial and gluteal muscle wasting. Clinicopathologic findings were consistent with previously reported cases of systemic calcinosis in horses, including increased muscle enzyme activity, hyperphosphatemia, increased calcium-phosphorus product, hypoproteinemia, and an inflammatory leukogram. A diagnosis of systemic calcino...
Siemieniuch MJ, Szóstek AZ, Gajos K, Kozdrowski R, Nowak M, Okuda K.Mares that fail to conceive or lose their embryos, without showing typical signs of clinical endometritis, should be suspected of subclinical endometritis (SE). In this study, the question was addressed: does SE fully activate selected mechanisms of innate immunity in mares? For this aim, expression of mRNAs for Toll-like Receptor 2 and 4 (TLR 2/4), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) was examined in control mares versus either mares suffering from chronic endometritis (ChE) or subacute suppurative endometritis (SSE). The concentrations of IL-1β, ...
El-Deeb W, Fayez M, Elsohaby I, Mkrtchyan HV, Alhaider A.Clostridium difficile (CD) is considered a major health care problem both in developing and developed countries; frequently reported to be associated with enterocolitis and diarrhea in horses and other animals. In this study, we examined acute phase response (APR), cytokines response, neopterin (NP) procalcitonin (PCT) production and oxidative stress condition in horses and foals with C. difficile-induced enterocolitis (CDIE) and evaluated the effectiveness of these parameters as biomarkers for the disease. A total of 407 Arabian horses in 35 stables were examined between January 2017 to Decem...
Journal of proteomicsJanuary 3, 2017
Volume 154 102-108 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2016.12.015
Degroote RL, Uhl PB, Amann B, Krackhardt AM, Ueffing M, Hauck SM, Deeg CA.The membrane protein expression repertoire of cells changes in course of activation. In equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous autoimmune disease in horses with relapsing and ultimately blinding inner eye inflammation, CD4+ T lymphocytes are the crucial pathogenic cells activated in the periphery directly prior to an inflammatory episode. In order to find relevant changes in the membrane proteome associated to disease, we sorted CD4+ lymphocytes and compared protein abundance from the generated proteome datasets of both healthy horses and ERU cases. We detected formin like 1, a key play...
Dimock AN, Siciliano PD, McIlwraith CW.Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are capable of degrading many components of the joint in the presence of insufficient antioxidant defences, and as a result have been implicated in the pathogenesis of joint disease in horses. However, to our knowledge, evidence of ROS occurring in diseased joints of horses has not been reported. The objective of this experiment was to compare differences in synovial fluid protein carbonyl content (as a marker of oxidative modification of synovial fluid proteins by ROS) and the antioxidant status of synovial fluid between clinically normal and diseased equine join...
Copas VE, Durham AE, Stratford CH, McGorum BC, Waggett B, Pirie RS.Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a debilitating and often fatal neurodegenerative disease. A presumptive diagnosis of EGS may be made on the basis of clinical signs and subjective ancillary tests, but a definitive antemortem diagnosis can only be made following histopathological examination of intestinal biopsies. It has previously been reported that horses with EGS may show clinical and clinicopathological signs of systemic inflammation. The objective of this study was to (a) quantify acute inflammatory markers in blood samples collected from acute, subacute and chronic EGS cases, and (b) compa...
Curto EM, Gemensky-Metzler AJ, Chandler HL, Wilkie DA.To characterize and describe the histopathologic findings in equine globes enucleated due to glaucoma. Methods: Medical records at The Ohio State University from 1999 to 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Signalment, history, and treatment data were collected, and histologic slides of enucleated globes were examined and lesions recorded. Twenty-three eyes from 23 horses were eligible for inclusion in this study. Results: The majority of affected horses were > 15 years of age (65%). The ages ranged from 5 to 35 years (mean = 17.4 years). The left eye was affected in 10 cases (43%) and the righ...
Koch DW, Berglund AK, Messenger KM, Gilbertie JM, Ellis IM, Schnabel LV.Tendon injury in the horse carries a high morbidity and monetary burden. Despite appropriate therapy, reinjury is estimated to occur in 50-65% of cases. Although intralesional mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy has improved tissue architecture and reinjury rates, the mechanisms by which they promote repair are still being investigated. Additionally, reevaluating our application of MSCs in tendon injury is necessary given recent evidence that suggests MSCs exposed to inflammation (deemed MSC licensing) have an enhanced reparative effect. However, applying MSC therapy in this context is limited...
Zayed M, Adair S, Ursini T, Schumacher J, Misk N, Dhar M.Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of joint disease affecting humans and horses, is characterized by the advance and decline of cartilage and loss of function of the affected joint. The progression of OA is steadily accompanied with biochemical events, which interfere with the cytokines and proteolytic enzymes responsible for progress of the disease. Recently, regenerative therapies have been used with an assumption that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess the potential to prevent the advancement of cartilage damage and potentially regenerate the injured tissue with an ultimate goal o...
Bonhomme D, Werts C.Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infectious disease affecting all vertebrates. It is caused by species of the genus Leptospira, among which are the highly pathogenic L. interrogans. Different mammals can be either resistant or susceptible to the disease which can present a large variety of symptoms. Humans are mostly asymptomatic after infection but can have in some cases symptoms varying from a flu-like syndrome to more severe forms such as Weil's disease, potentially leading to multiorgan failure and death. Similarly, cattle, pigs, and horses can suffer from acute forms of the disease, including ...
Bright LA, Dittmar W, Nanduri B, McCarthy FM, Mujahid N, Costa LR, Burgess SC, Swiderski CE. Pasture-associated severe equine asthma is a warm season, environmentally-induced respiratory disease characterized by reversible airway obstruction, persistent and non-specific airway hyper-responsiveness, and chronic neutrophilic airway inflammation. During seasonal exacerbation, signs vary from mild to life-threatening episodes of wheezing, coughing, and chronic debilitating labored breathing. In human asthma, neutrophilic airway inflammation is associated with more severe and steroid-refractory asthma phenotypes, highlighting a need to decipher the mechanistic basis of this disease chara...
Ferrari CR, Cooley J, Mujahid N, Costa LR, Wills RW, Johnson ME, Swiderski CE.Severe equine asthma, formerly recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), is the horse counterpart of human asthma, affecting horses maintained indoors in continental climates. Equine pasture asthma, formerly summer pasture RAO, is clinically similar but affects grazing horses during hot, humid conditions in the southeastern United States and United Kingdom. To advance translational relevance of equine pasture asthma to human asthma, histologic features of airway remodeling in human asthma were scored in lung lobes from 15 pasture asthma-affected and 9 control horses of mixed breeds. All noncartilagi...
Aviad AD, Houpt JB.Various molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA) preparations have been injected into joints for the treatment of human and equine osteoarthritis. A therapeutic advantage has been claimed for commercial products with a molecular weight in the range found in normal synovial fluid (SF), compared to lower molecular weight products. But a correlation between molecular weight and efficacy is not borne out by an analysis of the available literature on clinical results. SF viscosity, HA concentration, HA molecular weight and rate of synthesis in joint disease. It is proposed that the beneficial effect o...
Ríos DL, López C, Álvarez ME, Samudio IJ, Carmona JU.Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) preparations are a common treatment in osteoarthritis (OA) and inflammatory synovitis. However, there is ambiguity regarding the ideal concentration of leukocytes and platelets in these preparations necessary to induce an adequate anti-inflammatory and anabolic response in joint tissues, such as the synovial membrane. This research aimed to study, in normal synovial membrane explants (SME) challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the temporal effects (at 48 and 96h) of leukocyte- and platelet-rich gel (L-PRG) and pure platelet-rich gel (P-PRG) supernatants on the pr...
Couëtil LL, Art T, de Moffarts B, Becker M, Mélotte D, Jaspar F, Bureau F, Lekeux P.Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is recognized to be effective for the treatment of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in horses. Anti-inflammatory properties of GC are thought to be mediated by suppression of inflammatory gene expression via inhibition of transcription factors such as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-dose inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate and injectable dexamethasone 21-isonicotinate on clinical signs, pulmonary function, airway cytology, and activity of NF-kappaB and AP-1 in bronchial c...
Rinnovati R, Romagnoli N, Gentilini F, Lambertini C, Spadari A.Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) commonly refers to blood products which contain a higher platelet (PLT) concentration as compared to normal plasma. Autologous PRP has been shown to be safe and effective in promoting the natural processes of soft tissue healing or reconstruction in humans and horses. Variability in PLT concentration has been observed in practice between PRP preparations from different patients or from the same individual under different conditions. A change in PLT concentration could modify PRP efficacy in routine applications. The aim of this study was to test the influence of envi...
Jammes M, Contentin R, Audigié F, Cassé F, Galéra P. Osteoarthritis (OA) is an invalidating articular disease characterized by cartilage degradation and inflammatory events. In horses, OA is associated with up to 60% of lameness and leads to reduced animal welfare along with extensive economic losses; currently, there are no curative therapies to treat OA. The mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) secretome exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, making it an attractive candidate for improving the management of OA. In this study, we determined the best storage conditions for conditioned media (CMs) and tested whether priming MSCs with cytokines can enh...
Raspa F, Chessa S, Bergero D, Sacchi P, Ferrocino I, Cocolin L, Corvaglia MR, Moretti R, Cavallini D, Valle E.Diet is one of the main factors influencing the intestinal microbiota in horses, yet a systematic characterization of the microbiota along the length of the digestive tract in clinically healthy horses, homogenous for age and breed and receiving a specific diet is lacking. Unassigned: The study used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbiota of the intestinal tracts of 19 healthy Bardigiano horses of 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age fed one of two diets. Nine horses received a high-starch diet (HS), and ten horses received a high-fiber diet (HF). After 129 days, the horse...
Kaiser-Thom S, Hilty M, Axiak S, Gerber V.Equine pastern dermatitis (EPD), a multifactorial syndrome, manifests as skin lesions of variable severity in the pastern area. Despite the widespread use of antibacterial therapy for treating this condition, little is known about the contributing bacteria. Objective: To investigate the bacterial skin microbiota in EPD-affected and unaffected (control) pasterns. Methods: Case-control study with 80 client-owned horses; each with at least one EPD-affected and one control pastern. Methods: Horses were grouped by the form of EPD (mild, exudative or proliferative), the assigned severity grade and t...
Loftus JP, Belknap JK, Black SJ.We sought to determine whether a correlation exists between neutrophil infiltration and tissue matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) content in digital laminae collected during the prodromal and acute phases of laminitis in horses treated with an aqueous black walnut heartwood extract (BWE). Hoof laminar tissue was obtained at the onset of leukopenia and at the onset of clinical signs of lameness from BWE-treated horses and at equivalent times from control horses. Thin sections of laminae were screened for neutrophils by immunohistochemistry with an anti-CD13 monoclonal antibody and extracts of t...
Barton AK, Gehlen H.Equine inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) represent a spectrum of chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in horses resembling human asthma in many aspects. Therefore, both are now described as severity grades of equine asthma. Increasing evidence in horses and humans suggests that local pulmonary inflammation is influenced by systemic inflammatory processes and the other way around. Inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis as well as extracellular remodeling show close interactions. Cytology of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and tracheal wash is comm...
Coyne MJ, Cousin H, Loftus JP, Johnson PJ, Belknap JK, Gradil CM, Black SJ, Alfandari D.Equine laminitis is a debilitating disease affecting the digital laminae that suspend the distal phalanx within the hoof. While the clinical progression of the disease has been well documented, the molecular events associated with its pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Using real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), we have investigated the expression of genes coding for proteins containing a Disintegrin and Metalloprotease domain (ADAM), as well as genes encoding the natural inhibitors of these enzymes (tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease; TIMP) in horses with naturally-acquired (acute, chronic...
Dickey EJ, Long SN, Hunt RW.Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a condition that occurs in both human newborns and foals. The condition is the subject of extensive current research in human infants, but there have been no direct studies of HIE in foals, and hence, knowledge of the condition has been extrapolated from studies in humans and other animal models. The purpose of this review article is to highlight the most up-to-date and relevant research in the human field, and discuss how this potentially might have an impact in the management of foals with HIE.
von Rechenberg B, Leutenegger C, Zlinsky K, McIlwraith CW, Akens MK, Auer JA.This study investigated the potential association of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in subchondral cystic lesions (SCL) in horses. With the technique of in situ hybridisation in paraffin sections of fibrous tissue of SCL and quantitative real-time PCR in fresh frozen fibrous tissue and undecalcified bone sections of SCL embedded in acrylic resin, upregulation of mRNA of both cytokines could be demonstrated. mRNA of IL-1beta was upregulated at the periphery of the cystic lesion adjacent to normal bone, whereas IL-6 mRNA was upregulated within the fibrous tissue found with...
Hawkins DL, MacKay RJ, Gum GG, Colahan PT, Meyer JC.In each of 4 horses, sterile synovitis was induced by intra-articular injection of 3 micrograms of Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) into one antebrachiocarpal joint; an equal volume (2 ml) of phosphate-buffered saline solution (PBSS) was injected into the opposite, control carpus. Blood and 1.5 ml of synovial fluid were obtained at postinjection hours (PIH) 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 42, 66, and 144. Synovial fluid sample collection was accomplished by use of an indwelling, intra-articular catheter through PIH 12, and by arthrocentesis subsequently. Joint fluid samples were analyz...
Calzetta L, Roncada P, di Cave D, Bonizzi L, Urbani A, Pistocchini E, Rogliani P, Matera MG.Equine asthma is a disease characterised by reversible airflow obstruction, bronchial hyper-responsiveness and airway inflammation following exposure of susceptible horses to specific airborne agents. Although clinical remission can be achieved in a low-airborne dust environment, repeated exacerbations may lead to irreversible airway remodelling. The available data on the pharmacotherapy of equine asthma result from several small studies, and no head-to-head clinical trials have been conducted among the available medications. Objective: To assess the impact of the pharmacological interventions...
Bourdon B, Contentin R, Cassé F, Maspimby C, Oddoux S, Noël A, Legendre F, Gruchy N, Galéra P.Articular cartilage experiences mechanical constraints leading to chondral defects that inevitably evolve into osteoarthritis (OA), because cartilage has poor intrinsic repair capacity. Although OA is an incurable degenerative disease, several dietary supplements may help improve OA outcomes. In this study, we investigated the effects of Dielen® hydrolyzed fish collagens from skin (Promerim®30 and Promerim®60) and cartilage (Promerim®40) to analyze the phenotype and metabolism of equine articular chondrocytes (eACs) cultured as organoids. Here, our findings demonstrated the absence of cyto...
van Eps A, Collins SN, Pollitt CC.Supporting limb laminitis poses a threat to all horses suffering from severe unilateral lameness. Despite its devastating effects, relatively little is known about the precise pathologic processes that lead to its development. This article reviews the potential mechanisms of supporting limb laminitis, and the authors present some preliminary data based on advanced imaging and computer-based modeling techniques aimed at further elucidating the etiology of this unique form of laminitis. Gaining a better understanding of the pathologic processes that lead to supporting limb laminitis is essential...
Deeg CA, Amann B, Lutz K, Hirmer S, Lutterberg K, Kremmer E, Hauck SM.Müller glial cells are important regulators of physiological function of retina. In a model disease of retinal inflammation and spontaneous recurrent uveitis in horses (ERU), we could show that retinal Müller glial cells significantly change potassium and water channel protein expression during autoimmune pathogenesis. The most significantly changed channel protein in neuroinflammatory ERU was aquaporin 11 (AQP11). Aquaporins (AQP, 13 members) are important regulators of water and small solute transport through membranes. AQP11 is an unorthodox member of this family and was assigned to a thi...
Kay AT, Bolt DM, Ishihara A, Rajala-Schultz PJ, Bertone AL.To assess analgesia, inflammation, potency, and duration of action associated with intra-articular injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA), mepivacaine hydrochloride, or both in metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of horses with experimentally induced acute synovitis. Methods: 18 horses. Methods: Both forelimbs of each horse were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 3 times. After the first LPS injection, 1 forelimb of each horse was treated with intra-articular injection of mepivacaine (80 mg; n=6), TA (9 mg; 6), or mepivacaine with TA (same doses of each; 6) 12 hours after the initial LPS i...
