The inflammatory response in horses is a complex physiological process that occurs when the immune system reacts to harmful stimuli such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. This response is characterized by the activation of various immune cells, the release of signaling molecules, and the production of inflammatory mediators. In horses, the inflammatory response involves both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms, which work together to eliminate the source of harm and initiate tissue repair. Key components of the equine inflammatory response include cytokines, chemokines, and leukocytes, which coordinate the body's defense and healing processes. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, regulation, and implications of the inflammatory response in equine health and disease.
Niroomandi E, Maleki S, Abdollahpour G, Zakian A, Ahmadvand H.Leptospirosis is one of the important zoonotic bacterial diseases with a worldwide distribution that is often subclinical. We aimed to investigate the oxidant/antioxidant balance and acute-phase response in naturally infected horses and cattle with Leptospira interrogans. A total of 600 serum samples from horses and cattle were examined for L. interrogans antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test to determine anti-Leptospira IgG antibodies against a panel of eight important Leptospira antigens in Iran. Then, serum total antioxidant capacity, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and malo...
Theuerkauf K, Obach-Schröck C, Staszyk C, Moritz A, Roscher KA.In humans, activated platelets contribute to sepsis complications and to multiple organ failure. In our prospective analytical study of cases of the equine systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), we adapted a standard human protocol for the measurement of activated platelets and platelet-leukocyte aggregates (PLAs) in equine platelet-leukocyte-rich plasma (PLRP) by flow cytometry, and we investigated the hypothesis that activated platelets and PLAs are increased in clinical cases of SIRS. We included 17 adult horses and ponies fulfilling at least 2 SIRS criteria, and 10 healthy equids ...
Roth P, Stanley J, Chamoun-Emanuelli A, Whitfield-Cargile C, Coleman M.To compare the inflammatory response of murine macrophages exposed to the enteric microbiome of obese horses versus nonobese horses. Methods: Fecal samples from 12 obese horses (body condition score ≥ 7/9) and 12 nonobese horses (body condition score 4 to 5/9) with similar dietary management. Methods: Fecal supernatant was prepared from frozen fecal samples. RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were exposed to the fecal extract. Inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6) gene expression was quantified via real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR assay,...
Kozhakhmetov S, Babenko D, Kozhakhmetova S, Tuyakova A, Nurgaziyev M, Nurgozhina A, Muhanbetganov N, Chulenbayeva L, Sergazy S, Gulyayev A, Aljofan M....Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that forms ulcerations in the mucous membrane of the colon and rectum, in which gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in its pathogenesis. Agents modulating microbial dysbiosis caused by colitis can help in the remission of this disease. The current study describes the potential therapeutic effects of active metabolites from Lactobacillus rhamnosus and mare's milk which have potential therapeutic values on the intestinal microbiota and proinflammatory cytokines. The analysis of the V1-V3 16S rDNA site revealed significant changes in the intesti...
Adamič N, Prpar Mihevc S, Blagus R, Kramarič P, Krapež U, Majdič G, Viel L, Hoffman AM, Bienzle D, Vengust M.Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a common chronic respiratory disease and a significant health and well-being problem in horses. Current therapeutic strategies improve pulmonary function and clinical signs in some horses, but in the long-term, return to full athletic function appears to be rare. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and the effect of intrabronchial administration of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) on pulmonary inflammatory and clinical parameters in horses with SEA. This was a randomized controlled trial. Twenty adult horses diagnosed with SEA were random...
Radcliffe RM, Hill JA, Liu SY, Cook VL, Hurcombe SDA, Divers TJ.Abdominocentesis is commonly used to evaluate the abdominal cavity of the horse. This technique provides valuable diagnostic information as well as the means to monitor patients with abdominal diseases being managed medically and to determine their need for surgical management. Complications are uncommon and include trauma to the gastrointestinal tract or spleen, septic peritonitis, or abdominal wall infection. Methods: This review describes the indications, utility, patient preparation, and instructions for performing abdominocentesis as well as possible complications reported in horses. Step...
Beck AA, Paz LB, Frank MI, Engelmann AM, Krause A, Côrte FD.Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) is a promising alternative for patients suffering from chronic joint pain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a single injection of BoNT-A would produce adverse effects on clinical parameters and synovial parameters as well as lameness. One randomly selected radiocarpal joint was treated with 50 U of BoNT-A in eight horses, and the contralateral joint received saline solution. All horses received injections at day 0 and were re-evaluated twice daily for 7 days for heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), mucous membrane colo...
Morrell JM, Rocha A.One of the most commonly encountered challenges in equine breeding is endometritis, which can be difficult to resolve and causes considerable economic losses to the industry. It is a multifactorial condition, developing as an exaggerated form of the normal physiological response to breeding. Seminal plasma proteins, spermatozoa, bacteria and debris initiate an inflammatory response; the resulting fluid and neutrophils are then cleared from the uterus along with the debris. However, in some mares, the response is prolonged or exaggerated, with much fluid formation and neutrophil infiltration le...
Fuentes-Romero B, Muñoz-Prieto A, Cerón JJ, Martín-Cuervo M, Iglesias-García M, Aguilera-Tejero E, Díez-Castro E.Obesity and its associated complications, such as metabolic syndrome, are an increasing problem in both humans and horses in the developed world. The expression patterns of resistin differ considerably between species. In rodents, resistin is expressed by adipocytes and is related to obesity and ID. In humans, resistin is predominantly produced by inflammatory cells, and resistin concentrations do not reflect the degree of obesity, although they may predict cardiovascular outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of resistin and its relationship with ID and selected ind...
Lee GKC, Beeler-Marfisi J, Viel L, Piché É, Kang H, Sears W, Bienzle D.Horses with severe equine asthma (SEA), also known as heaves and recurrent airway obstruction, have persistent neutrophilic inflammation of the lower airways. Cytologic evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid is commonly used to confirm the clinical diagnosis of SEA. However, the utility of microscopic assessment of bronchial brushings, endobronchial biopsies, and immunohistochemical detection of disease-associated biomarkers for the diagnosis of SEA remain poorly characterized. Salivary scavenger and agglutinin (SALSA) has anti-inflammatory properties and downregulated gene expressio...
Rozario C, Martínez-Sobrido L, McSorley HJ, Chauché C.Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are important respiratory pathogens of horses and humans. Infected individuals develop typical respiratory disorders associated with the death of airway epithelial cells (AECs) in infected areas. Virulence and risk of secondary bacterial infections vary among IAV strains. The IAV non-structural proteins, NS1, PB1-F2, and PA-X are important virulence factors controlling AEC death and host immune responses to viral and bacterial infection. Polymorphism in these proteins impacts their function. Evidence from human and mouse studies indicates that upon IAV infection, the...
Colombo I, Mislei B, Mari G, Iacono E, Merlo B.Many mares are susceptible to persistent mating-induced endometritis (PMIE), an important cause of reduced fertility. Platelet lysate (PL) derives from freeze-thawing platelets after concentration, so that growth factors are released from the platelets. Among the advantages of PL compared to platelet-rich plasma (PRP), it can be frozen stored and allogenic use for PL might also be conceivable. Platelet-rich plasma beneficially reduced inflammatory response in PMIE mares when administered 24 h pre- or 4 h post-AI. The aim of this study was to test the effect of PL on inflammatory uterine resp...
Bazzano M, Bonfili L, Eleuteri AM, Serri E, Scollo C, Yaosen Y, Tesei B, Laus F.A proper knowledge of biochemical parameters and inflammatory markers like serum amyloid A (SAA) is crucial in the monitoring of the first post-partum period in equids. Since no information is available on SAA for donkeys at this stage, 50 animals including jennies (n.10) and newborn foals (n.10) within 48 hr from foaling, and jennies (n.10) and foals (n.20) after 30 days from parturition were enrolled in the study to assess routine biochemical profile including SAA. Jennies showed higher alkaline phosphatase and lower bilirubins and cholesterol at 30 days of lactation compared to post-part...
Olave CJ, Ivester KM, Couëtil LL, Franco-Marmolejo J, Mukhopadhyay A, Robinson JP, Park JH.To investigate the role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Ω-3)-derived proresolving lipid mediators (PRLM) in the resolution of mild airway inflammation in horses. Methods: 20 horses with mild airway inflammation. Methods: Horses previously eating hay were fed hay pellets (low Ω-3 content; n = 10) or haylage (high Ω-3 content; 9) for 6 weeks. Dust exposure was measured in the breathing zone with a real-time particulate monitor. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed at baseline, week 3, and week 6. The effect of PRLM on neutrophil apoptosis and efferocytosis was examined in vitro....
Suagee-Bedore J, Shost N, Miller C, Grado L, Bechelli J.Older horses and those prone to obesity may be at a higher risk for inflammation than younger and leaner counterparts. Previous research indicated a postprandial elevation in plasma concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, after consuming 1.2 g of non-structural carbohydrates/kilogram of body weight. However, these studies utilized horses of mixed age and body condition. The current study evaluated post-prandial IL-1β concentrations in horses specifically comparing lean to over-conditioned and middle aged to older. Our results suggest that at least two weeks of...
Leise BS, Fugler LA.Sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) -associated laminitis is a sequela to primary inflammatory conditions (eg, colitis, ischemic intestinal injury, pneumonia, metritis) and results from a dysregulated systemic inflammatory response that ultimately affects the digital lamellae. Local chemokine production, leukocyte migration, and proinflammatory mediator production occur within the lamellae that can lead to catastrophic lamellar failure. Controlling the primary disease, providing supportive care and anti-inflammatory therapy, applying digital cryotherapy, and providing mech...
Estrada McDermott J, Pezzanite L, Goodrich L, Santangelo K, Chow L, Dow S, Wheat W.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common condition with diverse etiologies, affecting horses, humans, and companion animals. Importantly, OA is not a single disease, but rather a disease process initiated by different events, including acute trauma, irregular or repetitive overload of articular structures, and spontaneous development with aging. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of OA is still evolving, and OA is increasingly considered a multifactorial disease in which the innate immune system plays a key role in regulating and perpetuating low-grade inflammation, resulting in sustained cartilage ...
Villagrán CC, Vogt D, Gupta A, Fernández EA.A 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding was evaluated for chronic weight loss, diarrhea, and pruritus. Physical examination revealed several ulcerative lesions on the skin and mucosal membranes. Diagnostic imaging findings were consistent with enteritis, typhlitis, and colitis. Multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) was diagnosed upon necropsy. This disease may be considered a form of equine inflammatory bowel disease complex which can be challenging to diagnose, requiring histological assessment, and in some cases, the use of immunohistochemical markers. Key clinical message: Mu...
Hay AN, Wagner B, Leeth CM, LeRoith T, Cecere TE, Lahmers KK, Andrews FM, Werre SR, Johnson AL, Clark CK, Pusterla N, Reed SM, Lindsay DS, Taylor S....Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a debilitating neurologic disease affecting horses across the Americas. Gaps in understanding the inflammatory immune response in EPM-affected horses create difficulties with diagnosis and treatment, subsequently negatively impacting the prognosis of affected horses. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate circulating levels of the inflammatory immune marker soluble CD14 (sCD14), in horses with EPM (n = 7) and determine if they differed from healthy neurologically normal horses (n = 6). Paired sera and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were ...
Hansson E, Skiöldebrand E.To treat osteoarthritic chondrocytes and thereby reduce the inflammation with a drug combination that primarily affects 5-HT- and ATP-evoked Ca2+ signaling. In osteoarthritic chondrocytes, Ca2+ signaling is elevated, resulting in increased production of ATP and inflammatory mediators. The expression of TLR4 and Na+/K+-ATPase was used to evaluate the inflammatory status of the cells. Methods: Equine chondrocytes were collected from joints with mild structural osteoarthritic changes and cultured in monolayers. The cells were treated with a combination of bupivacaine (1 pM) and sildenafil (1 ...
Montero C, Riquelme G, Del Campo M, Lagos N.The Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease characterized by a progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage producing a strong inflammatory activity and chronic pain in patients. Horses also show osteoarthritis. Since the activation and progression of the disease are similar to that of human we developed a study model in horses. In this study, we test the effect of Neosaxitoxin, a phycotoxin from Paralytic Shellfish Poison, in the remediation of osteoarthritis equine clinical symptoms such as pain (showed in lameness) and inflammation quantifying the amounts of pro-inflammatory markers lik...
Przewoźny M, Senderska-Płonowska M, Rząsa A, Wierzbicki H, Borkowski J, Swagemakers JH, Żak-Bochenek A, Stefaniak T.Arthroscopy and splint bone removal are the common orthopedic procedures in horses. Estimation of the dynamics of acute phase proteins in postoperative monitoring seems to be interesting diagnostic approach. The aim of the study was to investigate changes in the concentrations of plasma inflammatory markers-fibrinogen, haptoglobin, and protease inhibitors-following orthopedic surgery in horses. The study involved 114 horses, divided into two study groups undergoing: arthroscopy (41 horses) and splint bone removal (13 horses). The control group consisted of 60 healthy horses. The blood was coll...
Martinez RE, Leatherwood JL, Arnold CE, Glass KG, Walter KW, Valigura HC, Norton SA, White-Springer SH.Dietary intervention may be a valuable strategy to optimize the intra-articular environment in young horses to prolong their performance career. To test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product would reduce markers of joint inflammation and increase markers of cartilage metabolism following a single inflammatory insult, Quarter Horse yearlings (mean ± SD; 9 ± 1.0 mo) were balanced by age, sex, body weight (BW), and farm of origin and randomly assigned to the following treatment groups: 1.25% BW/d (dry matter basis) custom-formulated conce...
Wehrman RF, Genschel U, Charli A, Kanthasamy AG, Allbaugh RA, Ben-Shlomo G.To establish a physiologically relevant ex vivo model of equine corneal epithelial wound healing. Methods: Fourteen equine corneas were randomly assigned to one of two groups: wounded (n = 8) or unwounded (n = 6) controls. In the wounded group, the axial corneal epithelium was removed by applying a 6 mm filter paper disk soaked in 1N-NaOH for 60 s. Corneas were subsequently cultured using an air-liquid interface model. Evaluation of corneal healing was performed daily, and culture medium was collected. Corneas were randomly assigned to undergo processing via histopathology and RNAscope i...
Cassimeris L, Armstrong C, Burger QC, Stokes S, van Eps A, Galantino-Homer H.The euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp model (EHC) of equine endocrinopathic laminitis induces rapid loss of lamellar tissue integrity, disrupts keratinocyte functions, and induces inflammation similar to natural disease. Continuous digital hypothermia (CDH) blocks tissue damage in this experimental model, allowing identification of specific genes or molecular pathways contributing to disease initiation or early progression. Archived lamellar tissues (8 horses, 48 h EHC treatment, including CDH-treated front limbs) were used to measure relative expression levels of genes encoding keratin 17 (KR...
Walters M, Skovgaard K, Andersen PH, Heegaard PMH, Jacobsen S.The role of resident cells such a synoviocytes and chondrocytes in intra-articular inflammation is well-characterized, however the in vivo gene expression patterns of cells (predominantly leukocytes) in the synovial fluid (SF) of an inflamed joint have never previously been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate gene expression in SF leukocytes from the inflamed joint cavity after intra-articular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection in horses to improve our understanding of the temporal regulation of the intra-articular inflammatory response. Gene expression was investigated in S...
Du Cheyne C, Martens A, De Spiegelaere W.Exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) is a frequently encountered complication during second intention healing in equine distal limb wounds. Although it is still unknown what exactly triggers the formation of this tissue, previous research has revealed a persistent inflammatory response in these wounds. In this preliminary study we examined this inflammatory response in EGT-developing wounds as well as in experimental induced wounds. Immunohistological stainings were performed to detect primary inflammatory immune cells (MAC387 staining) as well as pro-resolution immune cells (CD163 staining). Ou...
Hellstrom EA, Ziegler AL, Blikslager AT.Postoperative ileus (POI), a decrease in gastrointestinal motility after surgery, is an important problem facing human and veterinary patients. 37.5% of horses that develop POI following small intestinal (SI) resection will not survive to discharge. The two major components of POI pathophysiology are a neurogenic phase which is then propagated by an inflammatory phase. Perioperative care has been implicated, namely the use of opioid therapy, inappropriate fluid therapy and electrolyte imbalances. Current therapy for POI variably includes an early return to feeding to induce physiological motil...
Cokelaere SM, Groen WMGAC, Plomp SGM, de Grauw JC, van Midwoud PM, Weinans HH, van de Lest CHA, Tryfonidou MA, van Weeren PR, Korthagen NM.There is an increasing interest in controlled release systems for local therapy in the treatment of human and equine joint diseases, aiming for optimal intra-articular concentrations with no systemic side effects. In this study, the intra-articular tolerability and suitability for local and sustained release of tacrolimus (FK506) from monospheres composed of [PDLA-PEG1000]-b-PLLA multiblock copolymers were investigated. Unloaded and tacrolimus-loaded (18.4 mg tacrolimus/joint) monospheres were injected into the joints of six healthy horses, with saline and hyaluronic acid (HA) in the contralat...
Ackermann K, Kenngott R, Settles M, Gerhards H, Maierl J, Wollanke B.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) causes painful inflammatory attacks and oftentimes blindness in the affected eyes. The disease is considered a late sequela of systemic leptospirosis. The most effective therapy is the surgical removal of the vitreous (vitrectomy), which is not only therapeutic, but provides vitreous material that can be assessed diagnostically. For example, the lipL32 gene, culturable Leptospira spp., and anti-Leptospira antibodies have all been detected in vitreous samples obtained from eyes with chronic ERU. Despite this clear evidence of leptospiral involvement, the systemic ...
Sanchez-Teran AF, Bracamonte JL, Hendrick S, Riddell L, Musil K, Hoff B, Rubio-Martínez LM.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of through-and-through joint lavage on systemic and synovial serum amyloid A (SAA), total protein, nucleated cell count and percentage of neutrophils in the synovial fluid of six healthy horses. A prospective experimental study was performed where one healthy tarsocrural joint of each horse was randomly assigned to receive repeated through-and-through joint lavage at 0, 48 and 96 h. Synovial fluid and blood samples were collected at 0 (baseline), 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. Systemic and synovial SAA, total protein, nucleated cell count a...
Mateo-Otero Y, Zambrano F, Catalán J, Sánchez R, Yeste M, Miro J, Fernandez-Fuertes B.In several mammalian species, acute endometritis driven by the recruitment of polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) occurs in response to semen. These PMNs release DNA to form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in cattle, horse and human, leading to sperm entrapment. While there is no evidence of this phenomenon occurring in donkeys, artificial insemination (AI) with frozen-thawed semen, which results in very poor pregnancy rates, leads to a large PMN recruitment to the uterus. Objective: To investigate whether donkey semen can trigger NET release (NETosis) and if excessive NETosis occurs in respon...
Treiber K, Carter R, Gay L, Williams C, Geor R.Inflammatory and redox signals could render lamellar tissue susceptible to damage and contribute to higher risk for laminitis in obese or insulin resistant ponies just as these factors contribute to health risks in humans with metabolic syndrome. This study evaluated circulating markers of inflammatory and redox status in ponies that had a history of recurrent bouts of pasture-associated laminitis (PL, n = 42) or had never developed clinical laminitis (NL, n = 34) under the current management conditions. There were no differences (P > 0.05) between PL and NL ponies for markers of antioxidan...
Berghaus LJ, Giguère S, Sturgill TL.Rhodococcus equi, a facultative intracellular pathogen of macrophages, causes life-threatening pneumonia in foals and in people with underlying immune deficiencies. As a basis for this study, we hypothesized that macrophage lineage and age would affect intracellular survival of R. equi and cytokine induction after infection. Monocyte-derived and bronchoalveolar macrophages from 10 adult horses and from 10 foals (sampled at 1-3 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 5 months of age) were infected ex vivo with virulent R. equi. Intracellular R. equi were quantified and mRNA expression of IL-1β, ...
Tadros EM, Frank N.To determine whether the method of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration (intermittent vs continuous) affects the magnitude and duration of the systemic inflammatory response in horses and whether prolonged (48 hours) endotoxemia induces laminitis. Methods: 12 healthy adult horses (10 mares and 2 geldings). Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to receive LPS (total dose, 80 μg; n = 4) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (80 mL/h; 4) via constant rate infusion or 8 bolus IV injections of LPS (10 μg, q 6 h;4) during a 48-hour period. Physical examinations were performed every 4 hours, inflammat...
Bodaan CJ, Wise LM, Wakelin KA, Stuart GS, Real NC, Mercer AA, Riley CB, Theoret C.Healing is delayed in limb wounds relative to body wounds of horses, partly because of sustained inflammation and inefficient angiogenesis. In laboratory animals, proteins derived from orf virus modulate these processes and enhance healing. We aimed to compare immune cell trafficking and the inflammatory, vascular, and epidermal responses in body and limb wounds of horses and then to investigate the impact of orf virus interleukin-10 and vascular endothelial growth factor-E on these processes. Standardized excisional wounds were created on the body and forelimb of horses and their progression ...
Knopp U, Christmann F, Reusche E, Sepehrnia A.Numerous types of materials have been evaluated over the past decades in the quest for the ideal dural replacement, but no product fully meets all the applicable criteria. This paper presents the long-term results of an animal trial of a collagen biomatrix (TISSUDURA, Baxter AG, Vienna/Austria) for the repair and regeneration of dural defects. This product provides a matrix with a special layer structure and consists of pure naturally cross-linked collagen of equine origin. The comparable material is Tutoplast Dura, a human cadaveric-derived dural graft preserved in a multiple stage chemical p...
Rebordão MR, Amaral A, Lukasik K, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Pinto-Bravo P, Galvão A, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G.Prostaglandin E (PGE) has contradictory effects in many organs. It may have proinflammatory, anti-inflammatory, or anti-fibrotic roles, depending on the type of receptors to which it binds. By signaling through its receptors EP2 and EP4, PGE mediates anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic actions. In spite of chronic endometrial fibrosis (endometrosis) being a major cause of mare infertility, its pathogenesis is not fully understood. We have shown that contact of mare endometrium in vitro with neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) proteases favors endometrial collagen type I production. Therefor...
Deeg CA, Eberhardt C, Hofmaier F, Amann B, Hauck SM.Autoimmune uveitis is an intraocular inflammation that arises through autoreactive T-cells attacking the inner eye, eventually leading to blindness. However, the contributing molecular pathomechanisms within the affected tissues remain as yet elusive. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly dynamic structure that varies tremendously and influences the encompassing tissue. In order to assess ECM re-modeling in autoimmune uveitis, we investigated the expression of ECM molecules fibronectin and osteopontin in vitreous and retina samples. This was carried out in the only spontaneous animal mode...
de la Rebière de Pouyade G, Serteyn D.Despite ongoing research and a widening range of treatment options, laminitis remains a severely damaging condition with poorly understood pathophysiology. Results obtained from cytokine regulation studies during the last decade have highlighted the inflammatory nature of laminitis. This review will describe the role of systemic activation and local infiltration of neutrophils in laminar tissues in the induction of laminitis. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of neutrophil activation in subsequent vascular dysfunction and oxidative and proteolysis imbalances that are pathways previousl...
Castagnetti C, Mariella J, Pirrone A, Cinotti S, Mari G, Peli A.To evaluate and compare the gene expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-8, and interferon-γ during the first 72 hours after birth in healthy foals and during the first 72 hours after hospitalization in sick neonatal foals and investigate correlations of clinicopathologic variables with cytokine expressions in healthy and sick neonatal foals. Methods: 33 foals < 7 days old (10 healthy foals, 7 foals with sepsis, 6 foals with peripartum asphyxia syndrome, and 12 foals with other diseases [2 with failure of passive transfer of immunity only were not further evaluated]). Methods: A blood sample...
Wang X, Ji Y, Su J, Xue Y, Xi H, Wang Z, Bi L, Zhao R, Zhang H, Yang L, Guo Z, Guan Y, Feng X, Sun C, Lei L, Ur Rahman S, Dong J, Han W, Gu J. subsp. serovar Abortusequi is a frequently reported pathogen causing abortion in mares. In this study, the preventive and therapeutic effects of phage P SAE-01E2 against Abortusequi in a mouse model of abortion were investigated. Phage P SAE-01E2 was stable at different temperatures (4 to 70°C) and pH values (pH 4 to 10) and could lyse the majority of the serogroup O:4 and O:9 strains tested (25/28). There was no lysogeny-related, toxin, or antibiotic resistance-related gene in the genome of P SAE-01E2. All of these characteristics indicate that P SAE-01E2 has the potential for use in pha...
Frellstedt L, Waldschmidt I, Gosset P, Desmet C, Pirottin D, Bureau F, Farnir F, Franck T, Dupuis-Tricaud MC, Lekeux P, Art T.In humans, strenuous exercise causes increased susceptibility to respiratory infections associated with down-regulated expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and costimulatory and antigen-presenting molecules. Lower airway diseases are also a common problem in sport and racing horses. Because innate immunity plays an essential role in lung defense mechanisms, we assessed the effect of acute exercise and training on innate immune responses in two different compartments. Blood monocytes and pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) were collected from horses in untrained, moderately trained, inten...
McFarlane D, Holbrook TC.Equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) is the result of a loss of dopaminergic inhibition of the pars intermedia secondary to neurodegeneration of periventricular hypothalamic neurons. The pathologic events contributing to development of neurodegeneration or clinical signs in equids with PPID are unknown. Chronic inflammation may contribute to initiation or progression of PPID. Objective: Horses with PPID have a distinct systemic cytokine profile compared with that of normal adult or aged horses. The cytokine profile of healthy aged horses differs from that of adult horses. Method...
Guedes AGP, Aristizabal F, Sole A, Adedeji A, Brosnan R, Knych H, Yang J, Hwang SH, Morisseau C, Hammock BD.This study determined the pharmacokinetics, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory effects of the soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor t-TUCB (trans-4-{4-[3-(4-Trifluoromethoxy-phenyl)-ureido]-cyclohexyloxy}-benzoic acid) in horses with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced radiocarpal synovitis. A total of seven adult healthy mares (n = 4-6/treatment) were administered 3 μg LPS into one radiocarpal joint and t-TUCB intravenously (i.v.) at 0 (control), 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, and 1 mg/kg in a blinded, randomized, crossover design with at least 3 weeks washout between. Two investigators independe...
Cudmore LA, Muurlink T, Whittem T, Bailey SR.Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β and TNFα, play a major role in activating leukocytes and endothelial cells during the systemic inflammatory response to endotoxin in the horse. β2 agonist drugs, such as clenbuterol, inhibit leukocyte activation. This study aimed to determine the effects of oral clenbuterol on clinical and leukocyte responses, including production of TNFα, in an in vivo endotoxin challenge model. In a randomised crossover design, horses received either clenbuterol or a placebo product prior to the administration of low dose endotoxin (30 ng/kg over 30 min). Clinica...
Watkins A, Fasanello D, Stefanovski D, Schurer S, Caracappa K, D'Agostino A, Costello E, Freer H, Rollins A, Read C, Su J, Colville M, Paszek M....Lameness is a debilitating condition in equine athletes that leads to more performance limitation and loss of use than any other medical condition. There are a limited number of non-terminal experimental models that can be used to study early inflammatory and synovial fluid biophysical changes that occur in the equine joint. Here, we compare the well-established carpal IL-1β-induced synovitis model to a tarsal intra-articular lavage model, focusing on serial changes in synovial fluid inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and the synovial fluid lubricating molecules lubricin/proteoglycan 4 and hya...
Bucca S, Carli A, Buckley T, Dolci G, Fogarty U.The present study describes the effect of a single dose of dexamethasone administered to mares at time of breeding. In an initial experiment, the authors investigated safety of treatment. In a second experiment the effect of treatment on the uterine environment, fetal development and pregnancy outcome was examined. In the final part of the study, mares susceptible to persistent mating induced endometritis were identified, by means of a risk factor score system and the effect of treatment evaluated. Results indicated that dexamethasone administered at breeding time did not negatively impact on ...
Skarzynski DJ, Szóstek-Mioduchowska AZ, Rebordão MR, Jalali BM, Piotrowska-Tomala KK, Leciejewska N, Łazarczyk M, Ferreira-Dias GM.The innate and adaptive immune mechanisms are key components of regulation of reproductive physiological function and uterine disorders in equine uterus. The predominant immunological response in equine endometrium, characterized by an innate immune response, occurs under estrogens influence, in the follicular phase. Although, the increase in immune-related genes in equine endometrium during estrus has been suggested to play a role in uterine clearance after mating, immune cells and their product, i.e. cytokines play also mandatory role in the luteal development and maintenance, regression of ...
Celeste CJ, Deschene K, Riley CB, Theoret CL.Wound repair in horse limbs is often complicated by the development of exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) and excessive scarring while body wounds tend to repair uneventfully. EGT resembles the human keloid. While the events leading to keloid formation are not fully elucidated, tissue hypoxia has been proposed as a major contributing factor. The objective of this study was to investigate tissue oxygen saturation in healing full-thickness wounds created on the horse limb and body, using near-infrared spectroscopy. Spectroscopic reflectance data were collected from both anatomic sites at specifi...
Orard M, Depecker M, Hue E, Pitel PH, Couroucé-Malblanc A, Richard EA.The aim of the study was to determine whether instillation of either 250 mL or 500 mL of saline for bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) would influence cytological confirmation of inflammatory airway disease (IAD). Thirty client-owned Standardbred racehorses were sampled via endoscopy with 250 mL of saline in one lung and 500 mL in the contralateral lung. The procedure was repeated 72 h later, reversing the volume per lung. The proportions of BAL fluid (BALF) recovered were significantly higher and neutrophil percentages significantly lower with the larger volume. A poor agreement was found between m...
Szóstek-Mioduchowska AZ, Baclawska A, Okuda K, Skarzynski DJ.Equine endometrosis (endometrial fibrosis) is a degenerative chronic process that occurs in the uterus of the mare and disturbs proper endometrial function. Fibrosis is attributed to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The turnover of ECM is mediated by matrix metallopeptidases (MMP). Previously, it was shown that cytokines modulate MMP expression in other tissues and may regulate fibrosis indirectly by attracting inflammatory cells to the site of inflammation and directly on various tissues. However, the regulation of MMP expression in equine endometrosis is still r...
Lohmann KL, Vandenplas ML, Barton MH, Bryant CE, Moore JN.Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antagonists inhibit the response of inflammatory cells to LPS, presumably by competitive inhibition, and may be of therapeutic value in the treatment of endotoxemia and sepsis. The inhibitory effects of some LPS antagonists are restricted to certain host species, however, as the same molecules can have significant endotoxic activity in other species. This species-specific recognition appears to be mediated by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and/or MD-2. We have shown previously that LPS from Rhodobacter sphaeroides ( RsLPS) is an LPS antagonist in human cells but an agonis...
Tonkin DR, Whitmore A, Johnston RE, Barro M.Replicon particles derived from Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE) are infectious non-propagating particles which act as a safe and potent systemic, mucosal, and cellular adjuvant when delivered with antigen. VEE and VEE replicon particles (VRP) can target multiple cell types including dendritic cells (DCs). The role of these cell types in VRP adjuvant activity has not been previously evaluated, and for these studies we focused on the contribution of DCs to the response to VRP. By analysis of VRP targeting in the draining lymph node, we found that VRP induced rapid recruitment of TNF-s...
Riihimäki M, Raine A, Art T, Lekeux P, Couëtil L, Pringle J.The aim of this study was to investigate mRNA levels of cytokines in bronchial epithelium in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) during acute crisis and remission. Additionally, cytokine mRNA levels in endobronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells were compared. Seven RAO horses were examined while in respiratory crisis following provocation and again while in remission after 2 months on pasture, during which time six healthy horses on pasture were also examined. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was used to assess mRNA expression for cytokines IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL...
Capomaccio S, Cappelli K, Spinsanti G, Mencarelli M, Muscettola M, Felicetti M, Verini Supplizi A, Bonifazi M.Horses and humans share a natural proclivity for athletic performance. In this respect, horses can be considered a reference species in studies designed to optimize physical training and disease prevention. In both species, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a major role in regulating the inflammatory process induced during exercise as part of an integrated metabolic regulatory network. The aim of this study was to compare IL-6 and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in trained and untrained humans and horses. Results: Nine highly trained male swimmers (...
Bonelli F, Meucci V, Divers TJ, Wagner B, Intorre L, Sgorbini M.Endotoxemia represents a significant clinical and economic problem for the equine industry. This study assesses the kinetics of soluble CD14 (sCD14), chemokine (CC motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and plasma procalcitonin (PCT) in healthy horses after the intravenous infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The aim was to contribute to the basic understanding of the equine species-specific kinetics of these molecules in response to LPS exposure, which could support further findings in clinical studies and identify valuable inflammatory biomarkers for equine practice. Eleven healthy ...
Davis KU, Sheats MK.Asthma is a common and debilitating chronic airway disease that affects people and horses of all ages worldwide. While asthma in humans most commonly involves an excessive type 2 immune response and eosinophilic inflammation, neutrophils have also been recognized as key players in the pathophysiology of asthma, including in the severe asthma phenotype where neutrophilic inflammation predominates. Severe equine asthma syndrome (sEAS) features prominent neutrophilic inflammation and has been increasingly used as a naturally occurring animal model for the study of human neutrophilic asthma. This...
Vineyard KR, Warren LK, Kivipelto J.To determine the effect of different sources of dietary n-3 fatty acids (FA) on plasma and red blood cell (RBC) FA composition and immune response, 18 Quarter Horse yearlings were randomly and equally assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: encapsulated fish oil (n = 6), milled flaxseed (n = 6), or no supplementation (control, n = 6). Fish oil contained 15 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3) and 12.5 g of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), and flaxseed contained 61 g of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) per 100 g of FA. Horses had free access to bahiagrass pasture during the active growing season and wer...
Andreassen SM, Vinther AML, Nielsen SS, Andersen PH, Tnibar A, Kristensen AT, Jacobsen S.Septic arthritis is a common and potentially devastating disease characterized by severe intra-articular (IA) inflammation and fibrin deposition. Research into equine joint pathologies has focused on inflammation, but recent research in humans suggests that both haemostatic and inflammatory pathways are activated in the joint compartment in arthritic conditions. The aim of this study was to characterize the IA haemostatic and inflammatory responses in horses with experimental lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced joint inflammation. Inflammation was induced by IA injection of LPS into one antebrach...
