Synovial fluid is a viscous, lubricating liquid found within the joint cavities of horses. It serves to reduce friction between the articular cartilage of synovial joints during movement. Composed primarily of hyaluronic acid and lubricin, synovial fluid also contains proteins, electrolytes, and cells. Its composition can change in response to joint disease or injury, making it a subject of interest in veterinary diagnostics. Analyzing synovial fluid can provide insights into joint health, inflammation, and the presence of infections. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the composition, function, and diagnostic applications of synovial fluid in equine medicine.
Misumi K, Tagami M, Kamimura T, Miyakoshi D, Helal IE, Arai K, Fujiki M.To quantify the urinary concentration of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), and to evaluate the relationship between urinary COMP concentration and the catabolic activity of synovial fluid (SF) in diseased horses. Methods: COMP in horse urine was detected by immunoblotting with a monoclonal antibody (mAb; 14G4) raised against equine COMP from articular cartilage. Urine and serum samples were obtained from 83 Thoroughbred horses with aseptic joint diseases (AJD, 79 horses) or septic joint diseases (SJD, four horses) at the time of anesthesia induction, and samples of SF were obtained d...
Vijarnsorn M, Riley CB, Shaw RA, McIlwraith CW, Ryan DA, Rose PL, Spangler E.To evaluate use of infrared spectroscopy for diagnosis of traumatic arthritis in horses. Methods: 48 horses with traumatic arthritis and 5 clinically and radiographically normal horses. Methods: Synovial fluid samples were collected from 77 joints in 48 horses with traumatic arthritis. Paired samples (affected and control joints) from 29 horses and independent samples from an affected (n = 12) or control (7) joint from 19 horses were collected for model calibration. A second set of 20 normal validation samples was collected from 5 clinically and radiographically normal horses. Fourier transfor...
de Grauw JC, van de Lest CH, van Weeren R, Brommer H, Brama PA.Joint pain is one of the most common causes of lameness in the horse but its pathogenesis is poorly understood. Objective: To investigate which synovial fluid markers may be related to the presence of clinically detectable joint pain in the horse. Methods: Concentrations of structural (CPII, C2C, GAG) and inflammatory markers (PGE2, LTB4, CysLTs, bradykinin and substance P) were measured in fetlock joint fluid from 22 horses in which lameness was localised to the fetlock region by perineural anaesthesia. Levels of these markers were then compared in horses that responded (n = 15) to those that...
Ishihara A, Zachos TA, Bartlett JS, Bertone AL.To evaluate host cell permissiveness and cytotoxic effects of recombinant and modified adenoviral vectors in equine chondrocytes, synovial cells, and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMD-MSCs). Methods: Articular cartilage, synovium, and bone marrow from 15 adult horses. Methods: Equine chondrocytes, synovial cells, and BMD-MSCs and human carcinoma (HeLa) cells were cultured and infected with an E-1-deficient adenovirus vector encoding the beta-galactosidase gene or the green fluorescent protein gene (Ad-GFP) and with a modified E-1-deficient vector with the arg-gly-asp capsid pepti...
de Grauw JC, Brama PA, Wiemer P, Brommer H, van de Lest CH, van Weeren PR.To assess whether reported alterations in metabolism of cartilage matrix in young (0 to 24 months old) horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) may also be found in older (24 to 48 months old) horses with clinical signs of OCD and to investigate the role of eicosanoids in initiating these clinical signs. Methods: Synovial fluid was collected from 38 tarsocrural joints of 24 warmblood horses with (22 joints of 16 horses) or without (16 joints of 8 horses) clinical signs and a radiographic diagnosis of OCD of the distal intermediate ridge of the tibia. Methods: Turnover of type II collagen wa...
Lescun TB, Vasey JR, Ward MP, Adams SB.OBJECTIVE-To determine clinical findings, complications, and outcome of septic synovitis in which continuous intrasynovial antimicrobial infusion (CIAI) was used for local antimicrobial delivery in horses. DESIGN-Retrospective case series. Animals-22 adult horses and 9 foals (horses7 days) in nature, 15 had been refractory to standard treatments, and 13 synovial infections had associated osteomyelitis. Mean duration from infection to initiation of CIAI was 19.7 days, and mean duration of CIAI was 6.1 days. Temporary discharge from the catheter site at the time of removal was evident in 8 horse...
Goodrich LR, Brower-Toland BD, Warnick L, Robbins PD, Evans CH, Nixon AJ.Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is one of the most influential growth factors in cartilage repair. Maintenance of adequate IGF-I levels after articular repair procedures is complicated by the short biological half-life of IGF-I in vivo. This study investigated the potential for more prolonged IGF-I delivery through direct adenoviral mediated transduction of synovial tissues in the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints of horses. The use of a large animal model provided a structurally similar and metabolically relevant corollary to the human knee. The complete IGF-I coding sequence was packaged...
Bolam CJ, Hurtig MB, Cruz A, McEwen BJ.To study osteoarthritis in the equine medial femorotibial (MFT) joint after a single traumatic injury. Methods: 10 mature horses. Methods: In vitro explant cultures were used to determine injury threshold for stifle joint cartilage. Contusive impacts were applied to the medial femoral condyle (MFC), and horses were followed for 84 (n = 5) and 180 days (5). Synovial fluid samples were collected every 14 days for determination of sulphated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) concentrations. Radiographic and lameness evaluations were performed. Gross and histologic descriptions, and immunohistochemistry, ca...
Lescun TB, Ward MP, Adams SB.To compare gentamicin concentrations achieved in synovial fluid and joint tissues during IV administration and continuous intra-articular (IA) infusion of the tarsocrural joint in horses. Methods: 18 horses with clinically normal tarsocrural joints. Methods: Horses were assigned to 3 groups (6 horses/group) and administered gentamicin (6.6 mg/kg, IV, q 24 h for 4 days; group 1), a continuous IA infusion of gentamicin into the tarsocrural joint (50 mg/h for 73 hours; group 2), or both treatments (group 3). Serum, synovial fluid, and joint tissue samples were collected for measurement of gentami...
Schneider N, Heimann M, Lejeune JP, Verwilghen DR, Deby-Dupont GP, Serteyn DA.In the human and equine species, different kinds of free floating intra-articular particles are related to certain disorders. Osteochondral fragments formed during osteochondrosis dissecans are the most common finding in the equine species, whereas in humans rice bodies due to rheumatoid arthritis are more frequent. Herein we report a third type of floating body inside the stifle of an adult draught horse stallion, in macroscopic appearance similar to articular rice bodies known in humans. As revealed by histologic examination, the two particles consist of polypoid degenerated structures deriv...
Rubio-Martínez LM, López-Sanromán J, Cruz AM, Santos M, Andrés MS, Román FS.To evaluate clinical variables, regional concentrations, and pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in the synovial fluid of distal forelimb joints of horses after IV regional limb perfusion. Methods: 6 horses. Methods: Vancomycin was administered via IV regional limb perfusion to the distal portion of the forelimbs of anesthetized horses. Drug (300 mg of vancomycin hydrochloride in 60 mL of saline [0.9% NaCl] solution) was infused into 1 forelimb, whereas the contralateral limb served as a control and was perfused with 60 mL of saline solution. Solutions were injected into the lateral digital vein af...
Pille F, De Baere S, Ceelen L, Dewulf J, Croubels S, Gasthuys F, De Backer P, Martens A.To determine radiocarpal (RC) joint synovial fluid and plasma ceftiofur concentrations after regional intravenous perfusion (RIP) and systemic intravenous (IV) administration. Methods: Experimental cross-over study. Methods: Five normal adult horses. Methods: One RC joint was randomly selected for RIP and the contralateral RC joint was sampled to determine intrasynovial ceftiofur concentrations after IV administration. Wash-out between IV and RIP was > or = 14 days. After surgical introduction of an intraarticular catheter, ceftiofur (2 g) was administered under general anesthesia either IV or...
Jacobsen S, Niewold TA, Halling-Thomsen M, Nanni S, Olsen E, Lindegaard C, Andersen PH.The aim of the study was to determine the intraarticular serum amyloid A (SAA) response pattern in horses with inflammatory arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis was induced by injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the radiocarpal joint of four horses. Serum and synovial fluid (SF) samples were collected before and at 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 144 h after injection. Concentrations of SAA were measured by immunoturbidometry, and expression of SAA isoforms was visualized by denaturing isoelectric focusing and Western blotting. The LPS injection caused systemic and local clinical signs of in...
Munsterman AS, Bertone AL, Zachos TA, Weisbrode SE.To determine the effects of pretreatment with alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, on equine synovial explants challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Methods: 8 mature mixed-breed horses (4 mares and 4 geldings). Methods: Synovial explants were assigned to receive 1 of 7 concentrations of alpha-linolenic acid, ranging from 0 to 300 microg/mL. At each concentration, half of the explants were controls and half were challenged with 0.003 microg of LPS as a model of synovial inflammation. Cell inflammatory response was evaluated by measurement of prostaglandin E2 product...
Kaneps AJ, Craig AM, Walker KC, True JE.To determine whether iontophoretic administration of dexamethasone to horses results in detectable concentrations in synovial fluid, plasma, and urine. Methods: 6 adult mares. Methods: Iontophoresis was used to administer dexamethasone. Treatments (4 mA for 20 minutes) were administered to a tarsocrural joint of each mare. The drug electrode contained 3 ml of dexamethasone sodium phosphate at a concentration of 4 or 10 mg/ml. Samples of synovial fluid, blood, and urine were obtained before and 0.5, 4, 8, and 24 hours after each treatment. All samples were tested for dexamethasone using an ELIS...
Adams AR, Haines GR, Brown MP, Gronwall R, Merritt K.Pharmacokinetics of difloxacin and its distribution within the body fluids and endometrium of 6 mares were studied after intragastric (IG) administration of 5 individual doses. Difloxacin concentrations were serially measured in serum, urine, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, and endometrium over 120 h. Bacterial susceptibility to difloxacin was determined for 174 equine pathogens over a 7-month period. Maximum serum concentration (Cmax) was 2.25 +/- 0.70 microg/mL at 3.12 +/- 2.63 h and Cmax after the 5th dose was 2.41 +/- 0.86 microg/mL at 97.86 +/- 1.45 h. The mean elim...
Pille F, Martens A, Schouls LM, Dewulf J, Decostere A, Vogelaers D, Gasthuys F.The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the accuracy of broad range 16S rRNA gene PCR compared to bacterial culture for the detection of synovial infection in horses. The study included 57 synovial fluid samples from horses with presumed synovial infection and a control group consisting of 31 synovial fluid samples originating from clinically normal horses and horses with aseptic synovial inflammation. All samples were analysed by 16S PCR with reverse line blot (RLB) hybridisation. Synovial fluid samples were cultured using conventional agar plate methods (APM) and/or blood cultur...
Orsini JA, Moate PJ, Boston RC, Norman T, Engiles J, Benson CE, Poppenga R.In two studies, six healthy adult horses were given imipenem-cilastatin by slow intravenous (i.v.) infusion at an imipenem dosage of 10 mg/kg (study 1) and 20 mg/kg (study 2). The same horses were used in each dosage schedule, with a 2-week washout period between studies. In each dosage group, serial blood and synovial fluid samples were collected for 6 h after completion of the infusion. HPLC was used to determine the imipenem concentration in all samples. Imipenem was well tolerated by all horses at both dosages; no adverse effects were noted during the study period or during the 24-hour pos...
Ethell MT, Hodgson DR, Hills BA.To determine the effects of the intra-articular injection of surface-active phospholipid in a propylene glycol carrier on synovial fluid composition and joint function of horses, and to compare these effects with those observed after the intra-articular administration of prilocaine, hyaluronan and propylene glycol alone. Methods: Twenty-four horses were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: Group 1 100 mg of surface-active phospholipid in 1 ml of propylene glycol; Group 2 1 ml of propylene glycol; Group 3 10 ml of prilocaine; Group 4 2 ml of hyaluronan. Left radiocarpal joints were inje...
Williams JM, Stokes JM, MacDonald MH, Benton HP.To investigate the activities of hyaluronidases in equine sera and synovial fluid samples and sera from fetal and adult bovids and evaluate the extent to which the degradation of hyaluronan is influenced by chondrocytes. Methods: Commercial and noncommercial samples of equine (n = 6) and bovine (6) sera and 16 synovial fluid samples from horses. Methods: Hyaluronidase activities in sera and synovial fluid samples were assessed via enzyme zymography (performed at pH 4, 5, 6, or 7). Chondrocytes were isolated from equine cartilage and cultured with or without hyaluronan (1 mg/mL); the degradatio...
Judy CE, Galuppo LD.To determine whether iatrogenic hemarthrosis of the metacarpophalangeal joint could be used as a model for temporary reversible joint pain in horses. Methods: 8 adult horses. Methods: Each horse was evaluated on a treadmill before and after injection of 1 metacarpophalangeal joint with 10 mL of autogenous blood. Horses were evaluated subjectively and objectively by use of a computerized force measurement system at intervals until lameness abated. The mean force difference between injected and noninjected limbs at all time periods after injection was compared with the difference between limbs a...
Hewes CA, Schneider RK, Baszler TV, Oaks JL.A 12-year-old American Saddlebred gelding was referred to a veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of a chronic lameness problem in the right radiocarpal joint. The horse had been treated for osteoarthritis of the right radiocarpal joint with multiple injections of cortisone during the past 3 years. The horse was severely lame on the right forelimb at a trot. Radiography and computed tomography revealed a 3 x 2-cm lytic defect in the distal portion of the radius and periarticular bone proliferation around the right radiocarpal joint. Ultrasonography of the distal portion of the radius rev...
van den Boom R, van de Lest CH, Bull S, Brama RA, van Weeren PR, Barneveld A.The importance of osteoarthritis (OA) in the horse and the difficulty in its early diagnosis have led to a search for potential biomarkers of joint disease. If the levels of such markers are to be interpreted accurately, clinicians and researchers need to know whether they are influenced by environmental factors and/or interventions such as exercise and repeated arthrocentesis. Objective: To investigate the influence of repeated arthrocentesis and exercise on nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) from normal equine joints. ...
Soraci AL, Tapia O, Garcia J.Flurbirpofen (FBP), a member of the 2-aryl propionate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class, has potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The commercial preparation is a racemic mixture of the R(-) and S(+) enantiomers of FBP. In this study, R(-) and S(+) FBP were used to investigate the metabolic chiral inversion. Each enantiomer was administered separately (0.25 mg/kg) and in a racemic mixture (0.5 mg/kg) intravenously to horses. Plasma and synovial concentration of each enantiomer was determined and the disposition of each was analyzed. After intravenous administration of R(-)...
Arai K, Misumi K, Carter SD, Shinbara S, Fujiki M, Sakamoto H.Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is abundant within cartilage; its turnover and/or degradation have been investigated in various equine joint diseases and it has been suggested that COMP fragmentation might be useful for monitoring such conditions. Objective: To determine whether COMP metabolism is compromised in equine osteoarthritis (OA) and whether COMP degradation is a useful joint marker representing cartilage destruction. Objective: A monoclonal antibody (mAb) with a higher affinity for degraded COMP allows discrimination of diseased joints by quantifying COMP levels and fragme...
van den Boom R, van der Harst MR, Brommer H, Brama PA, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR, DeGroot J.Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent and disabling chronic conditions affecting horses and leads to degeneration of articular cartilage. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs in combination with radiography, which is relatively insensitive and provides only an indication of accumulated damage. Alternative methods, such as molecular markers, are therefore needed that can quantitatively, reliably and sensitively detect osteoarthritic changes in the joints at an early stage of the disease. If such markers are to be used reliably, it is important to know the relationship between marker ...
Laverty S, Sandy JD, Celeste C, Vachon P, Marier JF, Plaas AH.To examine the concentration of glucosamine in the synovial fluid and its pharmacokinetics in serum in a large animal model following dosing with glucosamine HCl at clinically relevant levels. Methods: Eight adult female horses were studied. After an overnight fast, glucosamine HCl (20 mg/kg of body weight) was administered by either nasogastric (NG) intubation or intravenous (IV) injection. Blood samples were collected before dosing and at 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, 360, 480, and 720 minutes after dosing. Synovial fluid samples were collected from the radiocarpal joints 48 hours before dos...
Céleste C, Ionescu M, Robin Poole A, Laverty S.Although intraarticular (IA) corticosteroids are frequently used to treat joint disease, the effects of their repeated use on articular cartilage remains controversial. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of a clinically recommended dose of IA triamcinolone acetonide (TA), on synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers of cartilage metabolism. Ten adult horses, free of osteoarthritis (OA) in their radiocarpal joints, were studied. One radiocarpal joint of each horse was randomly chosen for treatment and the contralateral anatomically paired joint acted as the control. Aseptic arthrocentesis w...
Skiöldebrand E, Heinegård D, Eloranta ML, Nilsson G, Dudhia J, Sandgren B, Ekman S.The aim of the present study was to correlate the levels of COMP and aggrecan as indicators of tissue damage, in synovial fluid (sf) from carpal joints of acutely lame racehorses, with macroscopical lesions of articular cartilage (OA), osteochondral fractures and ligament tears found at arthroscopy. Sixty-three lame horses [49 Standardbred trotters (STB) and 14 Thoroughbreds (TB)] in conventional training and racing that underwent arthroscopy of their middle carpal or radiocarpal joints were included in the study. Intact as well as fragmented COMP and aggrecan released into the synovial fluid ...
Clegg PD, Coughlan AR, Carter SD.Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the main enzymes involved in connective tissue turnover. Regulation of MMPs is achieved by controlling production, activation of the pro-enzymes together with the presence of inhibitors, such as, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPS). The presence of TIMPs in equine synovial fluid was assessed by the ability of the fluid to inhibit equine MMP-9 activity using a gelatin degradation ELISA. The cellular source of the TIMPs was determined using culture supernatants of resident articular cells (chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts) and invading inflam...
Gustafsson K, Tatz AJ, Dahan R, Abu Ahmad W, Britzi M, Sutton GA, Kelmer G.The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and pharmacokinetics of trimethoprim-sulphadiazine administered via intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) into the cephalic vein. According to the hypothesis, the drug could be administered without adverse effects and the synovial concentrations would remain above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for trimethoprim-sulphadiazine (0.5 and 9.5 µg/mL) for 24 h. Ten ( = 10) horses underwent cephalic vein IVRLP with an Esmarch tourniquet applied for 30 min. Four grams (4 g) of trimethoprim-sulphadiazine (TMP-SDZ) were diluted at 0.9...
Ronéus B, Lindblad A, Lindholm A, Jones B.Hyaluronate and cartilage proteoglycan fragments in synovial fluid from normal equine joints were determined after repeated intraarticular injections of beta-methasone, methylprednisolone, hyaluronate, saline and a combination of beta-methasone + hyaluronate and methylprednisolone + hyaluronate. The experimental intraarticular treatments were given at the beginning of the study and after one and two weeks. Synovial samples were obtained at the onset of the study and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. The synovial volume was determined and showed no significant changes after the repeated arthroc...
Adair HS, Goble DO, Vanhooser S, Blackford JT, Rohrbach BW.The antebrachiocarpal and tarsocrural joints of 10 adult horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups. Groups were formulated and were treated as follows: group 1, control (arthrocentesis only); group 2, buffered lactated Ringer solution; group 3, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; w/v) in lactated Ringer solution; and group 4, 30% DMSO (w/v) in lactated Ringer solution. Joints were lavaged once with the respective solution. Prior to lavage and on days 1, 4, and 8 after lavage, all horses were evaluated for lameness and joint effusion; synovial fluid total and differential WBC counts, synovial fl...
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...
Kelmer G, Martin-Jimenez T, Saxton AM, Catasus C, Elliot SB, Lakritz J.There are no reported studies evaluating the use of erythromycin for regional limb perfusion (RLP) in horses. Our hypothesis was that using the cephalic and saphenous veins for RLP will enable delivery of therapeutic concentrations of erythromycin to the distal limb. Nineteen healthy horses participated in the study. The cephalic, saphenous or palmar digital (PD) vein was used to perfuse the limb with erythromycin. Synovial samples were collected from the metacarpo/metatarso-phalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint and blood samples were collected from the jugular vein. Maximum concentration (C(max)) of ery...
Conrado FO, Beatty SSK.Fluid analysis is an important part of the diagnostic work-up of equine patients presenting with disorders of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, and abdominal cavity. Proper specimen handling and processing are paramount for complete and accurate interpretation of fluid samples. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is a low-cellularity, low-protein fluid requiring specific sample handling to ensure accurate results. Joint and abdominal fluid analyses are completed in practice or submitted for analysis to a reference laboratory. This article discusses fluid sample handling and processing conside...
Castro-Cuellar G, Cremer J, Queiroz-Williams P, Knych HK, Leise BS.The objective of this study was to describe the pharmacokinetics of intra-articular (IA) administered buprenorphine in horses with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced synovitis. Radiocarpal synovitis was induced in six healthy adult horses with the IA injection of LPS (0.5 ng/joint) on two occasions in a randomized cross-over design. Treatments (IA buprenorphine (IAB) at 5 μg/kg plus intravenous saline; and intravenous buprenorphine (IVB) at 5 μg/kg plus IA saline) were administered 4 h following LPS injection. Concentrations of buprenorphine were assessed in plasma and synovial fluid (SF) ...
Orsini JA, Moate PJ, Engiles J, Norman T, Poppenga R, Benson CE, Boston RC.Cefotaxime powder was diluted with sterile water to a concentration of 100 mg/mL. The volume of solution was adjusted for each experimental horse to provide a total dose of 15, 20, and 25 mg/kg and was administered by infusion through a jugular vein catheter over a 10-min period. All three doses were administered to each of the six experimental horses at three different times. Cefotaxime concentrations in plasma and synovial fluid samples were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Standard compartmental analysis techniques and the WinSAAM modeling program were used to dete...
Smith AJ, Felstead CW, Lawson JS, Weller R.Radiography is the most commonly applied imaging modality in equine practice and forms an essential part of the diagnostic work-up of lame horses. Radiographic signs of musculoskeletal pathology are frequently localized at sites of soft tissue attachment, which are often not clearly visible on radiographs. Different lesions carry different prognoses and require a variety of treatments, and a good knowledge of the position of the synovial structures in the distal limb of the horse is essential for practitioners in the interpretation of radiographs. This study describes a new technique for creat...
Stover SM, Brown MP, Kelly RH, Farver TB, Knight HD.Six adult mares were given a single dose of aqueous suspension procaine penicillin G (300,000 IU/ml) IM at a dosage of 22,000 IU/kg of body weight (15.4 mg of penicillin G/kg). Serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, and urine penicillin concentrations were measured serially over a 48-hour period. The mean peak serum penicillin concentration was 1.42 microgram/ml at 3 hours. Penicillin was detected in synovial fluid and peritoneal fluid, which obtained mean peak penicillin concentrations of 0.62 microgram/ml and 0.58 microgram/ml, at 4 hours and 3 hours, respectively. These concentrations ste...
Farnsworth KD, White NA, Robertson J.To determine the effect of intra-articular gentamicin-impregnated polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads inserted in the equine tarsocrural joint on the synovial fluid, synovial lining, and cartilage, and to determine the peak and sustainable gentamicin concentrations in synovial fluid and plasma. Methods: Pharmacokinetic, cytologic, and histologic study of the effect of gentamicin-impregnated PMMA on normal equine tarsocrural joints. Methods: Five healthy adult horses. Methods: Gentamicin-impregnated PMMA bead strands (3 strands each of 40 beads, with each strand containing 100 mg gentamicin) we...
Viitanen M, Bird J, Maisi P, Smith R, Tulamo RM, May S.As a prerequisite for the identification of navicular disease markers, the concentrations of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), total glycosaminoglycans (GAG), hyaluronan, metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9 and total protein were measured in synovial fluid samples obtained from the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP), the metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP) and the navicular bursa of 24 horses. Mean GAG, COMP and total protein levels were significantly higher in the DIP joint and in the navicular bursa compared to the MCP joint. Hyaluronan content was lower. MMP -2 activity was present in al...
Fukuda K, Mita H, Tamura N, Kuroda T, Kuwano A, Takahashi T, Sato F.Persistent synovitis damages the articular cartilage in horses. To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment for synovitis using a model induced by intra-articular administration of monoiodoacetic acid (MIA), it is necessary to identify inflammatory biomarkers characteristic of the MIA model. Synovitis was induced by administering MIA into the unilateral antebrachiocarpal joints of five horses, and saline was injected into the contralateral joints as a control on day 0. Clinical and ultrasonographic examinations and synovial fluid collection were performed on days 0, 1, 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35....
Fontenot RL, Langston VC, Zimmerman JA, Wills RW, Sloan PB, Mochal-King CA.To determine meropenem concentrations in radiocarpal (RC) joint fluid and plasma after intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP). Methods: In vivo experimental study. Methods: Nine healthy adult mares. Methods: Meropenem (500 mg) was injected in the forelimb of standing sedated horses via IVRLP with a pneumatic tourniquet inflated to 400 mmHg. Synovial fluid was collected from RC joints at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 18 hours after meropenem injection. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at the same time points and at 5 and 15 minutes following injection. Meropenem concentr...
Kilcoyne I, Dechant JE, Nieto JE.The objective of the article is to determine the synovial fluid concentrations of amikacin sulfate (AS) after performing an intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) with the tourniquet in place for 10 minutes and compare this with 30 minutes. This is a randomised crossover experimental design. Animals were seven healthy adult horses. Horses underwent two IVRLP procedures in a randomised, crossover design. The horses received IVRLP with 2 g AS diluted to 60 ml using 0.9% saline in the cephalic vein of alternate limbs with the tourniquet in place for either 10 or 30 minutes, with a ...
Vajs T, Nekouei O, Biermann NM.The tarsus is one of the most common areas of traumatic injury with associated synovial involvement (SI) in horses. The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, management (emphasizing the type, duration, and route of antimicrobial administration), and outcome of cases with acute soft tissue trauma to the tarsal region. The presenting clinical features, the results of diagnostic modalities, and the initial response to therapy were assessed for their usefulness to predict SI. Medical records of 72 cases were included and SI was diagnosed ...
Bassage LH, Garcia-Lopez J, Currid EM.Two adult horses were evaluated for chronic hind limb lameness. Nonseptic calcanean bursitis with associated focal osteolytic lesions at the point of insertion of the gastrocnemius tendon was diagnosed in each horse by physical and lameness examinations, radiography, ultrasonography, and synovial fluid analysis. Both horses underwent arthroscopic exploration and lavage of the affected bursa, and one horse also underwent surgical debridement of the osseous lesion. Both horses remained lame for 13 months after the surgical procedures. To our knowledge, osseous lesions of the calcaneus in horses ...
Prades M, Brown MP, Gronwall R, Houston AE.After single oral administration of ketoconazole (30 mg/kg bodyweight [bwt]) in 50 ml of corn syrup to a healthy mare, the drug was not detected in serum. Ketoconazole in 0.2 N HC1 was administered intragastrically to six healthy adult horses in five consecutive doses of 30 mg/kg bwt at 12 h intervals. Ketoconazole concentrations were measured in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), urine and endometrium. Mean peak serum ketoconazole concentration was 3.76 micrograms/ml at 1.5 to 2 h after intragastric administration. Mean peak synovial concentration was 0.87 mic...
Hardy J, Bertone AL, Muir WW.To determine oxygen metabolism, permeability, and blood flow in isolated joints in response to interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) and contribution of innervation. Methods: One metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of 24 adult horses. Methods: The MCP joint was isolated for 6 hours in a pump-perfused, auto-oxygenated, innervated or denervated preparation. Isolated joints were assigned to the following 4 groups: control, control-denervated, inflamed, and inflamed-denervated, and inflammation was induced by intra-articular injection of IL-1beta. Circuit arterial and venous pressures, flows, and blood gas ten...
Niemelä TM, Tulamo RM, Aaltonen K, Sankari SM, Hielm-Björkman AK.Inflammatory and degenerative activity inside the joint can be studied in vivo via analysis of synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers, which are molecular markers of inflammatory processes and tissue turnover. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of selected biomarkers in the SF after an intra-articular (IA) high-molecular-weight non-animal stabilized hyaluronic acid (NASHA) treatment. Our hypothesis was that prostaglandin E (PGE), substance P, aggrecan chondroitin sulfate 846 epitope (CS846), and carboxypeptide of type II collagen (CPII) concentrations in SF would decrease more in th...
Brudvig JM, Swenson CL.Rapid and precise measurement of total and differential nucleated cell counts is a crucial diagnostic component of cavitary and synovial fluid analyses. Objective: The objectives of this study included (1) evaluation of reliability and precision of canine and equine fluid total nucleated cell count (TNCC) determined by the benchtop Abaxis VetScan HM5, in comparison with the automated reference instruments ADVIA 120 and the scil Vet abc, respectively, and (2) comparison of automated with manual canine differential nucleated cell counts. Methods: The TNCC and differential counts in canine pleura...
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...
Lopez BS, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Mullins MA, Davis JL.The objectives of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of danofloxacin and its metabolite N-desmethyldanofloxacin and to determine their concentrations in synovial fluid after administration by the intravenous, intramuscular or intragastric routes. Six adult mares received danofloxacin mesylate administered intravenously (i.v.) or intramuscularly (i.m.) at a dose of 5 mg/kg, or intragastrically (IG) at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg using a randomized Latin square design. Concentrations of danofloxacin and N-desmethyldanofloxacin were measured by UPLC-MS/MS. After i.v. administration, da...
Wilson KE, Bogers SH, Council-Troche RM, Davis JL.To determine the effects of general anesthesia on the safety and efficacy of co-administered potassium penicillin G (PEN) and gentamicin (GENT) in horses. Methods: Nonrandomized crossover. Methods: Six adult, Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Horses were administered PEN (22 000 IU/kg IV) and GENT (6.6 mg/kg IV). Plasma samples were collected over a 6 h period and synovial fluid was collected at 30 min and 6 h respectively. Drug administration and sample collection protocols were repeated after at least a 48 hour washout period and induction of anesthesia using xylazine/ketamine and main...
Sotelo EDP, Vendruscolo CP, Fülber J, Seidel SRT, Jaramillo FM, Agreste FR, Silva LCLCD, Baccarin RYA.Several studies in human and equine medicine have produced controversial results regarding the role of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as a therapeutic agent. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of joint lavage with different DMSO concentrations on biomarkers of synovial fluid inflammation and cartilage degradation in joints with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced synovitis. Twenty-six tibiotarsal joints of 13 horses were randomly distributed into four groups (lactated Ringer's solution; 5% DMSO in lactated Ringer's; 10% DMSO in lactated Ringer's; and sham). All animals were evaluated for the prese...
Krause DM, Pezzanite LM, Griffenhagen GM, Hendrickson DA.Frequency of synovial sepsis in horses following intrasynovial injection has been reported, but not compared with respect to the environment in which the injection was performed. Objective: To describe occurrence of synovial sepsis following intrasynovial injections performed in ambulatory vs hospital settings. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Records from the Colorado State University were evaluated (2014-2018) and horses receiving intrasynovial injections were identified. Patients presenting for septic synovial structures were excluded. Patient signalment, primary supervising se...
Bryant HA, Dixon JJ, Weller R, Bolt DM.The diagnostic value of positive contrast radiography in the work-up of suspected synovial infection in horses with limb wounds near synovial structures has yet to be systematically evaluated. Objective: To determine the specificity, sensitivity and positive and negative predictive values of positive contrast radiography for identification of synovial infection in a population of horses with limb wounds. Methods: Retrospective case study comparing the performance of positive contrast radiography to the gold standard of synovial fluid cytology in horses presenting with limb wounds in the vicini...
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...
Roquet I, Hendrick S, Carmalt JL.Based on a systemic complete blood count and a synovial fluid sample, to develop a mathematical model enabling the approximation of corrected values for synovial fluid white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil percentage, and total protein concentration in samples of synovial fluid that were contaminated by blood. Methods: Peripheral venous blood and synovial fluid samples were obtained from ten horses. A pooled synovial fluid sample from each horse was separated into 2 mL aliquots, which were subsequently contaminated with a known percentage of autogenous blood (0 to 50% of the synovial fluid ...
