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.
Sharma A, Thompson MS, Schnabel LV, Mete A, Hackett R.We describe the use of computed tomography (CT) in a 6-year-old mare with upper airway obstruction due to an abnormally thick nasal septum. Upon CT imaging, multifocal, expansile cyst-like lesions were detected in the nasal septum. The histopathologic diagnosis was chronic dissecting chondritis. Resection of the abnormal nasal septum resulted in resolution of the clinical signs.
Laumen E, Doherr MG, Gerber V.The horse owner assessed respiratory signs index (HOARSI-1-4, healthy, mildly, moderately and severely affected, respectively) is based on owner-reported clinical history and has been used for the investigation of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) genetics utilising large sample sizes. Reliable phenotype identification is of paramount importance in genetic studies. Owner reports of respiratory signs have shown good repeatability, but the agreement of HOARSI with an in-depth examination of the lower respiratory tract has not been investigated. Objective: To determine the correlation of HOARSI ...
Hillström A, Tvedten H, Lilliehöök I.An in-clinic assay for equine serum amyloid A (SAA) analysis, Equinostic EVA1, was evaluated for use in a clinical setting. Stability of SAA in serum samples was determined. Methods: Intra- and inter- assay variation of the in-clinic method was determined. The in-clinic method (EVA1) results were compared to a reference method (Eiken LZ SAA) with 62 patient samples. For samples with SAA concentrations within the assay range of EVA1 (10-270 mg/L), differences between the methods were evaluated in a difference plot. Linearity under dilution was evaluated in two samples. Stability of SAA in three...
Noschka E, Moore JN, Peroni JF, Lewis TH, Lewis SJ, Robertson TP.To provide insights into the role of prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (PGF(2 alpha)) in the developmental stages of laminitis induced in horses by ingestion of black walnut heartwood extract (BWHE). Methods: 10 adult mixed-breed horses. Methods: Horses were separated into 2 groups and were euthanatized at 12 hours after placebo (water) administration (control horses) or after BWHE administration and development of Obel grade 1 laminitis. Blood samples were obtained to determine plasma PGF(2 alpha) concentrations hourly for the first 4 hours and subsequently every 2 hours after substance administration...
Silveira A, Koenig JB, Arroyo LG, Trout D, Moens NM, LaMarre J, Brooks A.To determine effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on healing of wounds in the distal portion of the forelimb in horses. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Five 6.25-cm2 superficial wounds were created over both third metacarpi of 6 horses. Forelimbs were randomly assigned to treatment (ESWT and bandage) or control (bandage only) groups. In treated limbs, each wound was treated with 625 shock wave pulses from an unfocused electrohydraulic shock wave generator. In control limbs, each wound received sham treatment. Wound appearance was recorded weekly as inflamed or healthy and scored for...
Serteyn D, Piquemal D, Vanderheyden L, Lejeune JP, Verwilghen D, Sandersen C.Osteochondrosis (OC) is a developmental disease that affects growing horses and that severely affects their ability to perform. The genetic basis of its pathogenesis is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to analyze the transcript profile of leukocytes from horses affected with OC. Two transcriptome libraries were constructed from leukocytes of OC-affected and non-OC-affected horses using digital gene expression analysis (DGE) and real-time PCR. Statistical analysis allowed selection of 1,008 tags upregulated in the non-OC-affected group and 1,545 tags upregulated in the OC-affected gr...
Michelotto PV, Muehlmann LA, Zanatta AL, Bieberbach EW, Fernandes LC, Nishiyama A.Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is prevalent in young racehorses during training, being the 2nd most commonly diagnosed ailment interrupting training of 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: That stabling and exercise cause oxidative stress, release of platelet-activating factor (PAF) and inflammation in airways of Thoroughbred colts. Methods: Colts in breeding farms (NC, n = 45), stabled for 30 days (EC, n = 40), and race trained (EX, n = 34). Methods: Cytological profile and parameters of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) related to oxidative stress, bioactivity of the proinflam...
Gerber V, De Feijter-Rupp H, Wagner J, Venta P, Harkema JR, Robinson NE.Airway mucus accumulation is associated with indoor irritant and allergen exposure in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and a chloride channel (calcium activated, family member 1; CLCA1) are key signalling molecules involved in mucin gene expression. Objective: We hypothesised that exposure to irritants and aeroallergens would lead to increased expression of the mucin gene eqMUC5AC and increased stored mucosubstance in the airways of RAO-affected horses, associated with increased neutrophils and CLCA1 and EGFR mRNA levels. Methods: We perfo...
Yasuda K, Scott DW, Erb HN, McDonough SP.Infiltrative lymphocytic mural folliculitis (ILMF) is a histopathological reaction pattern reported to occur in a small number of equine inflammatory dermatoses. However, the prevalence of ILMF in a variety of equine dermatoses has not been reported. Skin biopsy specimens from 250 horses with inflammatory dermatoses and from 27 horses with physically healthy skin were therefore evaluated. ILMF was present in 82% of the diseased skin specimens examined. ILMF was not seen in physically healthy skin. It appears that ILMF is frequently seen in a wide variety of equine inflammatory dermatoses and t...
Byrne BA, Rand CL, McElliott VR, Samitz EM, Brault SA.Dermatophilosis caused by Dermatophilus congolensis causes exudative dermatitis in a variety of species. The infection is generally limited to the cutaneous tissues, where infection is acquired from the environment and bacteria penetrate into keratinized epithelium through epithelial disruption. A 3-year-old pony filly was examined for enlarging mandibular lymph nodes during the preceding 10 months. Biopsy of the node revealed mixed and granulomatous inflammation and thick, filamentous Gram-positive bacteria. Dermatophilus congolensis, confirmed by biochemical testing and sequencing of the rib...
Rojer H, Aurich C.Recently, successful treatment of mares with a history of persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE) with dexamethasone has been reported. As systemic treatment of horses with glucocorticoids should be handled with caution, we tested the hypothesis that treatment with the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) vedaprofen, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, may have comparative, positive effects on fertility. Barren mares with a history of repeated PMIE were treated with vedaprofen (n = 8; initially 2 mg/kg bodyweight followed by 1 mg/kg orally twice daily) from 1 day before the first ins...
Leiva M, Peña T, Armengou L, Cesarini C, Monreal L.Septicemia in humans is described as a leading cause of uveitis, which eventually can induce blindness. Objective: Uveal inflammatory findings could be related to sepsis severity in newborn foals and might be used as an indirect indicator for survival. Methods: Seventy-four septic foals, 54 nonseptic foals, and 42 healthy foals. Methods: Prospective observational clinical study. A detailed blinded, ophthalmic examination was performed by boarded ophthalmologists on all admitted newborn foals. Foals were grouped as septic (when blood culture resulted positive or the sepsis score was > or =14...
Cleary OB, Trumble TN, Merritt KA, Brown MP.To investigate the effects of exercise and osteochondral injury on concentrations of carboxy-terminal telopeptide fragments of type II collagen (CTX-II) in synovial fluid (SF) and serum of Thoroughbred racehorses and to compare findings with radiographic and arthroscopic scores of joint injury severity. Methods: 78 Thoroughbreds with (n = 38) and without (40) osteochondral injury. Methods: Serum and metacarpophalangeal or carpal joint SF samples were collected from noninjured horses before and at the end of 5 to 6 months of race training (pre- and postexercise samples, respectively) and from h...
Lindegaard C, Gleerup KB, Thomsen MH, Martinussen T, Jacobsen S, Andersen PH.To compare the effects of intra-articular (IA) versus IV administration of morphine on local and systemic inflammatory responses in horses with experimentally induced acute synovitis. Methods: 8 horses. Methods: Each horse received the following 2 treatments 4 hours after synovitis was induced: IA administration of morphine (0.05 mg/kg) with IV administration of 1 mL of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution/100 kg, and IA administration of 1 mL of saline solution/100 kg with IV administration of morphine (0.05 mg/kg). Treatments were administered in randomized order with a washout period of 3 weeks betw...
Tóth F, Frank N, Geor RJ, Boston RC.To investigate the effects of dexamethasone or levothyroxine sodium on endotoxin-induced alterations in glucose and insulin dynamics. Methods: 24 horses. Methods: Horses were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups and received 48 mg of levothyroxine mixed with 200 g of oats, 20 mg of dexamethasone plus oats, or oats alone (control) for 15 days, followed by IV infusion of lipopolysaccharide (20 ng/kg) while individually housed in stalls. Frequently sampled IV glucose tolerance tests were performed prior to pretreatment, after pretreatment, and 20 hours after lipopolysaccharide administration....
Brink P, Skydsgaard M, Teige J, Tverdal A, Dolvik NI.To develop a scoring system for histopathologic changes in the synovium of tarsocrural joints (TCJs) of horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and to test for association between histopathologic changes and joint effusion or lameness. Methods: 93 horses with OCD of the intermediate ridge of the tibia of 1 or both TCJs (134 joints) and 38 control horses without disease of TCJs (38 joints). Methods: For OCD-affected horses, pretreatment lameness, TCJ effusion, and results of pelvic limb flexion test were scored. Synovial biopsy specimens were obtained from TCJs of OCD-affected horses during...
Kornaś S, Pozor M, Okólski A, Nowosad B.The nematode Setaria equina usually reside in body cavities and do not cause clinical symptoms. From time to time, however, these parasites can be located in the scrotum and spermatic cord inflicting pain and edema in these body parts. The aim of the study was to describe the case of the nematode Setaria equina found in the vaginal sac of the stallion's scrotum. During the study, thorough examination of 50 isolated testicles of 25 stallions was conducted. The horses were obtained post-slaughter from the local slaughterhouse near Krakow. In one of examined stallions, two females of Setaria equi...
Theoret C.Horses are predisposed to traumatic wounds that can be labor intensive and expensive to manage. Skin has a considerable potential for efficient and functional repair however, while cutaneous repair is a regenerative process in the fetus, this capability declines in late gestation as inflammation and scarring alter the outcome of healing. The historical gold standard for replacement of lost skin is the autologous skin graft. However, the horse's lack of redundant donor skin limits the practicality of full-thickness grafting to smaller wounds; moreover, graft failure is relatively common in equi...
Pickles KJ, Brooks AC, Rickards KJ, Cunningham FM.N-terminal peptides derived from the anti-inflammatory peptide, annexin-1, inhibit neutrophil function but can also induce pro-inflammatory effects. Although equine annexin-1 has been sequenced, its cellular expression and properties have not been reported. This study has examined whether annexin-1 is present in equine leucocytes and how the N-terminal peptide, Ac2-26, affects equine neutrophil superoxide production. Annexin-1 expression in equine neutrophils and mononuclear cells and the ability of Ac2-26 to activate neutrophil p42/44 MAPK were determined by immunoblotting. Equine neutrophil ...
Wagner B, Stokol T, Ainsworth DM.Transfer of maternal IgE antibodies to the neonate with the colostrum has been described in different mammalian species. Previous work in horses has shown that IgE bound to the surface of neonatal basophils is solely of maternal origin. However, the functional role of the maternal IgE transfer remained unclear. We hypothesized that maternal IgE mediates the onset of innate IL-4 production in equine neonatal basophils. Intracellular IL-4 production was measured in PBMC of newborn and older foals by flow cytometric analysis. A small population of IL-4(+) cells was observed in the peripheral bloo...
Sun WC, Berghaus LJ, Moore JN, Hurley DJ, Vandenplas ML, Thompson R, Linden J.Stimulation of adenosine A(2A) receptors results in anti-inflammatory effects in a variety of cell types. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha and IL-1, have been reported to up-regulate the expression of adenosine A(2A) receptors and thereby enhance the functional activity of adenosine A(2A) receptors in human and murine monocyte/macrophage cell lines and in monocytes/macrophages isolated from those species. In this study, we investigated the effects of LPS and TNF-alpha on the expression and functional activity of adenosine A(2A) receptors in isolated eq...
Morán G, Burgos R, Araya O, Folch H.In horses, Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO) is an allergic disease that involves IgE mediated Type I Hypersensitivity responses. The development of this type of allergy involves a series of events that begins with reaginic antibodies, mainly IgE and some IgG subclasses. These reaginic antibodies bind with high affinity, via the Fc portion, to FcepsilonRI receptors on the membrane of mast cells and basophils. Once bound, environmental allergens cross-link the antibodies, which results in mast cell degranulation leading to the production of histamine and other chemical mediators that act toget...
Watts EJ, Rose MT.Horses are more prone to complications in the wound healing process than other species, and problems such as chronic inflammation, delayed epithelialization, poor wound contraction, and exuberant granulation tissue are commonly seen, particularly in wounds on the distal limbs. In comparison, wounds of the oral mucosa heal rapidly in a scarless fashion with a high degree of wound contraction. The effect of platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) on the contraction of a fibroblast-populated collagen matrix (FPC...
Morton AJ, Grosche A, Rötting AK, Matyjaszek SA, Blikslager AT, Freeman DE.OBJECTIVE-To identify expression and localization of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 in healthy and ischemic-injured left dorsal colon of horses. SAMPLE POPULATION-Left dorsal colon tissue samples from 40 horses. PROCEDURES-Tissue samples that were used in several related studies on ischemia and reperfusion were evaluated. Samples were collected during anesthesia, before induction of ischemia, and following 1 hour of ischemia, 1 hour of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion, 2 hours of ischemia, 2 hours of ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion, and 2 hours of ischemia and 18 hours of reperf...
Nash DM, Sheldon IM, Herath S, Lane EA.Reproductive efficiency in mares is low and persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE) is an important cause of subfertility. Mating-induced endometritis (MIE) an obligate precursor to PMIE, is a ubiquitous, transient inflammatory response to the presence of sperm, seminal components and pathogens. However, the specific inflammatory pathways that derive from MIE and that may also be precursors to PMIE are not clear. The ability to identify and measure robust, repeatable markers of inflammation integral to MIE may be key to understanding the progression to PMIE. The aim of the study was to (...
Schaefer EC, Stewart AA, Durgam SS, Byron CR, Stewart MC.OBJECTIVE-To determine whether the effects of a high-molecular-weight sodium hyaluronate alone or in combination with triamcinolone acetonide can mitigate chondrocyte glyocosaminoglycan (GAG) catabolism caused by interleukin (IL)-1 administration. SAMPLE POPULATION-Chondrocytes collected from metacarpophalangeal joints of 10 horses euthanized for reasons unrelated to joint disease. PROCEDURES-Chondrocyte pellets were treated with medium (negative control), medium containing IL-1 only (positive control), or medium containing IL-1 with hyaluronic acid only (0.5 or 2.0 mg/mL), triamcinolone aceto...
Nieto JE, MacDonald MH, Braim AE, Aleman M.Horses are exquisitely sensitive to bacterial endotoxin and endotoxaemia is common in colic cases. In this study, gene expression of inflammatory cytokines was characterised in the blood of healthy horses following i.v. administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Six horses received an LPS infusion and 6 controls received an equivalent volume of saline. Gene expression of genes encoding interleukin (IL)-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was quantified by real-time PCR. Gene expression of all inflammatory cytokines was upregulated following administratio...
Pearson W, Lindinger M.Nutraceuticals are increasingly applied to the management of equine arthritis and joint disease, particularly those based upon glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate. While the first report of using glucosamine in horses appeared more than 25 years ago, it was not until 1992 that isolated studies began to be reported. Since that time, 15 in vivo papers have been published in the equine literature, usually on products already commercially available and often seeking evidence for efficacy. These studies demonstrate an encouraging trend to manufacturers of these products investing in research, but ...
Matthews A, Gilger BC.Equine immune mediated keratopathies are common in both Europe and the USA. This review article will compare the clinical differences in horses with this disease and also review the current theories on pathogenesis and treatment of equine IMMK.
Steckel RR, Page EH, Geddes LA, Van Vleet JF.The effect of low-level direct-current stimulation on skin wound healing in the horse was assessed. Self-sustaining electrical circuits with electrodes were implanted subcutaneously in or near the wound. Stimulation by direct current (10 or 20 microA) was used to determine the effect on equine skin healing. The efficacy of electrotherapy was evaluated by sequentially comparing the clinical appearance of the wound and measuring the size of the granulating wound bed. The histologic appearance of the healing stimulated wounds was compared with that in nonstimulated control wounds created on 9 hor...
Goehring LS, Brandes K, Ashton LV, Wittenburg LA, Olea-Popelka FJ, Lunn DP, Soboll Hussey G.Equine herpesvirus-associated myeloencephalopathy is the result of endothelial cell infection of the spinal cord vasculature with equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) during cell-associated viraemia. Endothelial cell infection requires contact between infected peripheral blood mononuclear and endothelial cells. Inflammation generated during viraemia likely upregulates adhesion molecule expression on both cell types increasing contact and facilitating endothelial cell infection. Objective: Evaluating the role of anti-inflammatory drugs in decreasing endothelial cell infection with EHV-1. Methods: In vi...
Poore LA, Else RW, Licka TL.Verrucous pastern dermatitis is a progressive inflammatory skin disease commonly involving the palmar or plantar aspects of the pasterns of horses. There are no reports of successful surgical treatment for multifocal circumscribed verrucous masses in the chronic stages of verrucous pastern dermatitis. A combination of sharp dissection and electrocautery was used to resect numerous multifocal circumscribed verrucous masses from the distal hindlimb of an 11-year-old gelding draught horse. There was no evidence of significant regrowth or complications at a 24 month postoperative examination.
Hanel RM, Crawford PC, Hernandez J, Benson NA, Levy JK.To determine whether passive transfer of IgG in neonatal kittens affects plasma opsonic capacity and neutrophil phagocytic and oxidative burst responses to bacteria in vitro. Methods: 22 kittens from 6 specific pathogen-free queens. Methods: Kittens were randomized at birth into the following treatment groups: colostrum-fed, colostrum-deprived, or colostrum-deprived supplemented with feline or equine IgG. Blood samples were collected at intervals from birth to 56 days of age. Plasma IgG concentrations were determined by radial immunodiffusion assay. Neutrophil function was assessed by a flow c...
Stokol T.This article uses a case-based approach, complemented with diagnostic algorithms and images, to highlight hematologic changes of pathologic relevance in horses, namely, marked erythrocytosis, anemia or leukocytosis, inflammatory leukograms, lymphocytosis in adult horses, thrombocytopenia, and pancytopenia. These hematologic abnormalities occur with certain diseases and their identification can help clinicians narrow to down differential diagnostic lists. This article highlights the importance of blood smear examination, particularly, but not only, when numerical red flags are identified on aut...
Hosaka Y, Ozoe S, Kirisawa R, Ueda H, Takehana K, Yamaguchi M.The aim of this study was to clarify whether matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and -9: gelatinases) and pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta] are induced by heat in tendon tissue in vitro and to test the hypothesis that heat exposure causes tendinocytes to synthesize pro-inflammatory cytokines and that synthesis of these cytokines, in turn, leads to up-regulation of synthesis of gelatinases. Isolated tendinocytes from equine superficial digital flexor tendons were cultured and all experiments were performed on cells passaged 3 or 4 times. In t...
Roberts ED, Ochoa R, Haynes PF.Dermal and epidermal laminar lesions were correlated with acute intestinal, primary hepatic, septicemic, chronic laminar, and acute laminar diseases. Horses with acute intestinal disease had edema in the secondary dermal laminae. Those with hepatic disease had increased keratinization of the secondary epidermal laminae. Septicemia caused increased keratin formation in the primary and secondary epidermal laminae. Chronic laminitis caused architectural changes of the epidermal laminae characterized by hyperplasia and keratin formation of the basal epidermal layer. Horses with acute laminitis had...
Gunson DE, Halliwell RE, Minor RR.A 2-year-old female horse had large areas of hyperextensible, fragile skin that were interspersed with areas of normal skin. Affected skin tore easily and contained reduced amounts of dermal collagen. Collagen fibers were fragmented and disorganized, and in trichrome-stained sections, many fibers had abnormal red-stained centers. Electron microscopy showed that many collagen fibers had discrete foci of degradation in which the fibrils were fragmented, loosely packed, and widely separated by granular material. Collagen fibril fragments were present in secondary lysosomes in dermal fibroblasts, ...
Grünig G, Hermann M, Winder C, Von Fellenberg R.Cell-free supernatants (sol phases), obtained after centrifugation (50,000 x g for 45 minutes) of respiratory tract secretions from horses with chronic pulmonary disease, were assayed for procoagulant activity (PCA) in a one-stage clotting assay. Of the 103 specimens tested, 59% (61) contained PCA. Procoagulant activity was detected most often in respiratory tract secretions of severely affected horses and was correlated with the quantity of neutrophils in the respiratory tract secretions. In 12 of the 17 secretions tested, the clotting time was decreased in a dose-dependent manner. However, i...
Huhmann R, Mueller RS.Topical application of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) has shown satisfactory results in dogs and humans with allergic skin diseases. Urea and glycolic acid act as keratolytics and moisturizers. Culicoides hypersensitivity is the most common equine hypersensitivity disorder and only limited treatment options exist. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a cream containing topical PUFAs, humectants and emollients on clinical signs of equine Culicoides hypersensitivity. Methods: Privately owned horses (n = 28) with clinical signs of Culicoides hypersensitivity. Methods: For a period of four ...
Knych HK, Vidal MA, Chouicha N, Mitchell M, Kass PH.The frequent use of intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in performance horses warrants further study of the duration of as well as the beneficial and detrimental effects on gene expression associated with administration. Objective: To assess the effects of intra-articular administration of TA on the expression of selected anti- and proinflammatory and structural matrix genes following its administration into joints of exercised Thoroughbred horses and to correlate these effects with plasma and synovial fluid drug concentrations. Methods: Block design experiment. Methods: Eight exercis...
Simonen-Jokinen T, Maisi P, Tervahartiala T, McGorum B, Pirie S, Sorsa T.Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in tissue destruction in allergic airway diseases. We studied the ability of various allergenic substances to directly activate recombinant 92kDa proMMP-9. The substances included hay dust suspension (HDS) and its components (supernatant, particulate matter and wash fluid of particulate matter), storage mite extract and two Aspergillus fumigatus extracts. The allergen suspensions were incubated in vitro with proMMP-9. After incubation the conversion of proMMP-9 to 10kDa lower active forms were studied using gelatin zymography and Western immunoblot...
Potter KA, Leid RW, Kolattukudy PE, Espelie KE.Lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid are important mediators of inflammation, affecting several aspects of cell function. Monohydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (mono-HETE) and 5,12-dihydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (LTB4) enhance migration of both neutrophils and eosinophils in several species. The relative ability of positional isomers of HETE and of LTB4 to affect migration of equine eosinophils was studied. The 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 15 isomers of HETE were prepared by autooxidation of arachidonic acid, separated by sequential normal phase and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography...
Zhang L, Franchini M, Wehrli Eser M, Dip R.Accumulation of extracellular adenosine has been closely associated with human asthmatic responses. However, the relevance of adenosine signalling in equine airways has not previously been investigated. Objective: To determine the expression of adenosine receptors (AR) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and assess the reactivity of these cells to AR ligands ex vivo, employing IL-6 as readout of adenosinergic inflammatory signalling. Methods: Eight horses with varying degrees of lower airway inflammation and 10 healthy controls were analysed. Expression of AR-subtypes in each BAL sample was ...
Rötting AK, Freeman DE, Constable PD, Eurell JA, Wallig MA.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the eosinophilic response in intestinal mucosa of horses with intestinal ischemia and reperfusion or with strangulation of the jejunum or colon. SAMPLE Mucosal samples from horses with naturally occurring strangulation (n = 24 horses) or distention (n = 6) of the jejunum or colon (11), with experimentally induced ischemia and reperfusion of the jejunum (6) or colon (15), or that were euthanized for reasons other than gastrointestinal tract disease (13). PROCEDURES Mucosal samples were collected and grouped by type of intestinal injury. Slides were stained with Luna eosino...
Nocera I, Bonelli F, Meucci V, Rinnovati R, Spadari A, Intorre L, Pretti C, Sgorbini M.Literature on the protein carbonyl content (PCC) evaluation in horses is scarce, thus the aims were to evaluate the PCC in healthy and SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) horses and to investigate the performances of PCC in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio in identifying SIRS positive and negative horses. A total of 72 adult horses were included. All the horses underwent to a complete physical examination, blood analysis, and were evaluated for the SIRS status. Blood samples were collected once in healthy horses and at admission time, then 24, 48, 72, and 96 h...
Fernandes DJ, Xu KF, Stewart AG.1. Airway wall remodelling (AWR), the structural change induced by acute and chronic inflammation in the airways, may be one of the most significant and difficult to reverse components of progressive asthma. 2. The mechanisms underlying the development of AWR are not known. Studies of only the most superficial wall structures of large airways can be conducted in living humans because of the degree of invasiveness required to measure airway structural changes. These studies reveal that currently available agents do not fully prevent or reverse AWR. Thus, animal models of asthma pathology may be...
Kalsow CM, Dubielzig RR, Dwyer AE.Pinealitis accompanying uveitis is well established in laboratory models of experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis. In naturally occurring uveitis, pinealitis has been demonstrated in the pineal gland from a mare with active uveitis and is suspected in some human uveitides. We have evaluated pineal glands from horses with various stages of uveitis for signs of immunopathology accompanying spontaneous uveitis. Methods: Pineal glands from 10 horses with uveitis and from 13 horses without uveitis were evaluated for histochemical (H&E, collagen) and immunohistochemical (MHC class II antigen exp...
Kurotaki T, Narayama K, Arai Y, Arai S, Oyamada T, Yoshikawa H, Yoshikawa T.Histopathologic and electron microscopic observations were given on Langerhans cells (LCs) within the follicular epithelium (FE) and intradermal sweat duct (ISD) of equine "Kasen". By light microscopy, LCs were present in the greatest numbers within the FE and ISD than within the epidermal layer and the normal skin, with an occasional formation of several aggregated foci. By electron microscopy, LCs within the FE and ISD widely extended their dendritic processes between the keratinocytes and contained Birbeck granules (Bgs), mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticula and ribosomes in the cytopla...
Smith EJ, Beaumont RE, Dudhia J, Guest DJ.Tissue fibrosis following tendon injury is a major clinical problem due to the increased risk of re-injury and limited treatment options; however, its mechanism remains unclear. Evidence suggests that insufficient resolution of inflammation contributes to fibrotic healing by disrupting tenocyte activity, with the NF-κB pathway being identified as a potential mediator. Equine embryonic stem cell (ESC) derived tenocytes may offer a potential cell-based therapy to improve tendon regeneration, but how they respond to an inflammatory environment is largely unknown. Our findings reveal for the firs...
Tuniyazi M, Tang R, Hu X, Fu Y, Zhang N.Diarrhea is a common gastrointestinal disorder in horses, with diet-induced diarrhea being an emerging challenge. This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota differences in healthy and diet-induced diarrheic horses and evaluate the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and carbonate buffer mixture (CBM) as potential therapeutic approaches. Twenty healthy horses were included in the study, with four groups: Control, Diarrhea, CBM, and FMT. Diarrhea was induced using oligofructose, and fecal samples were collected for microbiota analysis. FMT and CBM treatments were admi...
Animal welfare has become an increasingly important concern regarding equids working as carriage animals. In the present study, the changes in the markers of stress and inflammatory responses as a result of the work performed by tourism carriage horses under real working conditions in Sicily (Italy) were investigated. Twenty-two Standardbreds performed a normal working day in the carriage tourism business during the months of May, June and July 2022, consisting of one day of work for each month. Blood samples were collected in the stables at rest before the tour route (Pre; 07.00 AM) and withi...
Cequier A, Vázquez FJ, Vitoria A, Bernad E, Fuente S, Serrano MB, Zaragoza MP, Romero A, Rodellar C, Barrachina L.The effectiveness and safety of allogeneic mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) can be affected by patient's immune recognition. Thus, MSC immunogenicity and their immunomodulatory properties are crucial aspects for therapy. Immune responses after allogeneic MSC administration have been reported in different species, including equine. Interactions of allogenic MSCs with the recipient's immune system can be influenced by factors like matching or mismatching for the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) between donor-recipient, and by the levels of MHC expression in MSCs. The latter can vary u...
Bourebaba L, Bourebaba N, Galuppo L, Marycz K.Nowadays, regenerative medicine techniques are usually based on the application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the repair or restoration of injured damaged tissues. However, the effectiveness of autologous therapy is limited as therapeutic potential of MSCs declines due to patient's age, health condition and prolonged in vitro cultivation as a result of decreased growth rate. For that reason, there is an urgent need to develop strategies enabling the in vitro rejuvenation of MSCs prior transplantation in order to enhance their in vivo therapeutic efficiency. In presented study, we attemp...
Hobbs KJ, Cooper BL, Dembek K, Sheats MK.Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is fragmented extracellular DNA that is released from cells into various body fluids. Previously published data from adult horses supports cfDNA as a potential disease biomarker, but also shows that direct measurement in plasma is inaccurate due to matrix effect. It is currently unknown whether a similar matrix effect exists in foal plasma. Given this, the objectives of the current study were to investigate foal plasma for potential matrix effect during fluorescence measurement of cfDNA using a Qubit fluorometer, and to determine whether neat and/or extracted plasma cfDNA...
Sävilammi T, Alakangas RR, Häyrynen T, Uusi-Heikkilä S.Gastrointestinal disorders are common and debilitating in horses, but their diagnosis is often difficult and invasive. Fecal samples offer a non-invasive alternative to assessing the gastrointestinal health of horses by providing information about the gut microbiota and inflammation. In this study, we used 16S sequencing to compare the fecal bacterial diversity and composition of 27 healthy horses and 49 horses diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We also measured fecal calprotectin concentration, a marker of intestinal inflammation, in healthy horses and horses with IBD. We found ...
Jakobsen N, Weber NR, Larsen I, Pedersen KS.To mitigate the use of antibiotics for many of the multifactorial diseases seen in pigs, horses and cattle, new diagnostic tools are needed. Acute phase protein (APP) measurements can, in humans, be used to guide antibiotic treatment initiation, evaluate treatment efficacy, and make a prognosis. The aim of this review is to collect evidence on the clinical functionality of APP measurements as a tool to guide antibiotic treatment in pigs, horses, and cattle. Literature was retrieved using Medline, CAB Abstracts and Google Scholar. The acute phase response has been investigated for a plethora of...
Hobbs KJ, Bayless R, Sheats MK.With the emergence of COVID-19, there is an increased focus in human literature on cytokine production, the implications of cytokine overproduction, and the development of novel cytokine-targeting therapies for use during sepsis. In addition to viral infections such as COVID-19, bacterial infections resulting in exposure to endotoxins and exotoxins in humans can also lead to sepsis, resulting in organ failure and death. Like humans, horses are exquisitely sensitive to endotoxin and are among the veterinary species that develop clinical sepsis similar to humans. These similarities suggest that ...
