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.
Gustafsson K, Tatz AJ, Dahan R, Britzi M, Soback S, Sutton GA, Kelmer G. The aim of this study was to determine the time (T) to the maximum concentration (C) of amikacin sulphate in synovial fluid of the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) following cephalic intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) using 2 g of amikacin sulphate. Methods: Cephalic IVRLP was performed with 2 g of amikacin sulphate diluted in 0.9% NaCl to a total volume of 100 mL in six healthy adult mixed breed mares. An Esmarch's rubber tourniquet was applied for 30 minutes and the antibiotic solution was infused through a 23-gauge butterfly catheter. Synovial fluid was collected from the RCJ ...
Pezzanite L, Chow L, Piquini G, Griffenhagen G, Ramirez D, Dow S, Goodrich L.Intra-articular (IA) antibiotic usage is prevalent in equine practice. However, recent emergence of antimicrobial resistance prompts re-evaluation of antibiotic selection, particularly when used prophylactically. Furthermore, many commonly used antibiotics exert direct cytotoxicity to equine cells, and appropriate IA doses have not been defined. Objective: To screen antibiotics in vitro as an initial assessment of cytotoxicity against normal equine joint cells in monolayer culture and explant tissues. Methods: In vitro experimental study. Methods: Chondrocytes and synovial cells were harvested...
Velloso Alvarez A, Boone LH, Pondugula SR, Caldwell F, Wooldridge AA.Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) and autologous protein solution (APS) are newer therapeutic options for osteoarthritis (OA). Co-culture of cartilage and synovium stimulated with IL-1β produces a similar physiologic response to tissues from naturally-ocurring OA. The study objective was to investigate the effects of ACS, APS, and triamcinolone (TA) on inflammatory and catabolic gene expression of inflamed joint tissues in co-culture. Blood was collected and processed for ACS and APS from six horses. Cartilage and synovial explants were harvested from the stifle, placed in co-culture, and tr...
Bertoni L, Jacquet-Guibon S, Branly T, Legendre F, Desancé M, Mespoulhes C, Melin M, Hartmann DJ, Schmutz A, Denoix JM, Galéra P, Demoor M....Osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and economic loss in both humans and horses. The horse is recognized as a suitable model for human osteoarthritis, because the thickness, structure, and mechanical properties of equine articular cartilage are highly comparable to those of humans. Although a number of equine experimental osteoarthritis models have been described in the literature, these cases generally involve the induction of osteoarthritis in just one joint of each animal. This approach necessitates the involvement of large numbers of horses to obtain reliable data and thus limits the ...
Adler DMT, Serteyn D, Franck T, Jørgensen E, Christophersen MT, Denwood M, Verwilghen DR.To compare the extent of inflammation and catabolic collagen response in the middle carpal joints (MCJs) of healthy horses following intra-articular injection of 2% lidocaine, 2% mepivacaine, lactated Ringer solution (LRS), or 0.1% methyl parahydroxybenzoate. 17 adult horses. In the first of 2 experiments, the left middle carpal joint (MCJ) of each of 12 horses was injected with 10 mL of 2% lidocaine (n = 3), 2% mepivacaine (3), or LRS (control; 6). After a 4-week washout period, the right MCJ of the horses that received lidocaine or mepivacaine was injected with 10 mL of LRS, and the right MC...
Page AE, Adam E, Stewart JC, Gonzales C, Barker V, Horohov DW.While the use of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation has been well described in the horse, the object of this study was to evaluate the effect of repeated intra-articular LPS injections and determine whether this method may be of use to assess changes in gene expression related to inflammation. Six mixed breed horses were utilized for this study, with three horses aged 10-17 years (older group) and three horses aged 3 years (younger group). One milliliter of phosphate-buffered saline containing 3 μg of LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4 was aseptically injected into either the radi...
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...
Jimenez Rihuete P, Villarino N, Pelisiak A, Rubio-Martinez LM.Refractometric determination of total protein (TP) in synovial fluid (SF) is commonly used for diagnosis and monitoring of synovial sepsis in horses. Previous studies have shown that elevated concentrations of certain anticoagulants may overestimate refractometric determination of TP concentration. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of dipotassium EDTA (KEDTA) and lithium heparin (LH) on TP determination by using a hand-held refractometer in equine synovial fluid. Methods: Cross-section observational study. Methods: Thirty samples of synovial...
Matheson A, Regmi SC, Martin-Alarcon L, Jay GD, Scott WM, Schmidt TA.: In experimental models of equine joint-injury and osteoarthritis synovial fluid (SF) composition (proteoglycan-4, hyaluronan) can vary, along with changes to SF mechanical function (lubrication, viscosity). The study hypotheses were a) clinical equine joint-injury and disease results in altered SF composition and diminished mechanical function, and b) serum composition (proteoglycan-4 or hyaluronan) changes concurrently. The objectives were to characterize composition (proteoglycan-4, hyaluronan), and function of SF and serum from normal horses compared to clinical groups: osteoarthritis, ac...
Haughan J, Jiang Z, Stefanovski D, Moss KL, Ortved KF, Robinson MA.Gene therapy promotes the expression of missing or defective genes and can be curative following administration of a single dose. Gene therapy is prohibited in equine athletes by regulatory bodies due to the high potential for abuse and novel analytical methods are needed for detection. The goal of this study was to detect the administration of an experimental gene therapy: a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) carrying a transgene for the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (rAAV-IL10). Twelve horses were randomly assigned to receive an intra-articular injection of rAAV-IL10 or phos...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Granados MM, Modesto R, Serrano-Rodriguez JM, Funes FJ, Quiros S, Gomez-Villamandos RJ, Zaldívar S, Trumble TN.Local anaesthetics are being combined clinically with amikacin in intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP), with limited knowledge on the analgesia provided and its onset and duration of action after tourniquet application and release. Objective: To evaluate the systemic clinical effect, limb withdrawal to nociceptive stimulation, and plasma and synovial fluid concentrations after IVRLP with lidocaine or mepivacaine in standing sedated horses. Methods: Prospective, controlled, randomised, cross-over study. Methods: Six healthy adult horses were sedated and received IVRLP with lidocaine, mep...
Krueger CR, Mitchell CF, Leise BS, Knych HK.Clodronate is a non-nitrogenated bisphosphonate approved for use in horses. There are no peer-reviewed published reports describing the pharmacokinetics or evaluating renal health indices and urinary excretion patterns in conjunction with plasma and synovial fluid concentration following the systemic administration of clodronate to horses. Objective: Describe clodronate concentrations in plasma, urine and synovial fluid and evaluate the effects on renal indices after intramuscular administration to healthy horses. Methods: Experimental study with repeated measures. Methods: Six healthy adult h...
Pezzanite L, Chow L, Soontararak S, Phillips J, Goodrich L, Dow S.Equine veterinarians frequently inject aminoglycoside antibiotics intra-articularly, either to treat septic arthritis or for prophylaxis with other medications when injecting joints for osteoarthritis. Although aminoglycosides have been demonstrated to be toxic to equine mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), their effects on resident joint cells have not been previously investigated. Moreover, safe and effective intra-articular doses have not been defined. Objective: To determine effects of concentration, duration of exposure, pH and the presence of synovial fluid on the cytotoxic effects of amikacin ...
Colbath AC, Dow SW, Hopkins LS, Phillips JN, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR.Allogeneic and autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMDMSCs) have been administered in equine joints for their anti-inflammatory effects. However, allogeneic BMDMSC offer multiple clinical and practical advantages. Therefore, it is important to determine the relative effectiveness of allogeneic vs autologous BMDMSCs. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the inflamed joint response to autologous vs allogeneic BMDMSCs injections, and to determine if either treatment generated an anti-inflammatory effect. Methods: Randomised controlled study. Methods: Bone marrow...
Peal BT, Gagliardi R, Su J, Fortier LA, Delco ML, Nixon AJ, Reesink HL.The objectives of this study were to evaluate temporal changes in lubricin, hyaluronan (HA), and HA molecular weight (MW) distributions in three distinct models of equine joint injury affecting the carpal (wrist), tarsal (ankle), and femoropatellar (knee) joints. To establish ranges for lubricin, HA, and HA MW distributions across multiple joints, we first evaluated clinically healthy, high-motion equine joints. Synovial fluid was collected from high-motion joints in horses without clinical signs of joint disease (n = 11 horses, 102 joints) and from research horses undergoing carpal osteo...
Menarim BC, Gillis KH, Oliver A, Mason C, Werre SR, Luo X, Byron CR, Kalbfleisch TS, MacLeod JN, Dahlgren LA.Synovial inflammation is a central feature of osteoarthritis (OA), elicited when local regulatory macrophages (M2-like) become overwhelmed, activating an inflammatory response (M1-like). Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMNC) are a source of naïve macrophages capable of reducing joint inflammation and producing molecules essential for cartilage metabolism. This study investigated the response of BMNC to normal (SF) and inflamed synovial fluid (ISF). Equine BMNC cultured in autologous SF or ISF (n = 8 horses) developed into macrophage-rich cultures with phenotypes similar to cells native to no...
Perrone G, Lastra Y, González C, Caggiano N, Giménez R, Pareja R, De Simone E.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthropathy in sport horses. The administration of a platelet lysate (PL) is an alternative method for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The mechanisms by which PL exerts its beneficial effects have not been determined, and less is known about its effect on the activity of the proteolytic enzymes of the synovial fluid of equines with OA. In this work, the effect of the administration of PL to horses with OA was analyzed both clinically and molecularly by determining the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9...
Delco ML, Goodale M, Talts JF, Pownder SL, Koff MF, Miller AD, Nixon B, Bonassar LJ, Lundgren-Åkerlund E, Fortier LA.Early intervention with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) after articular trauma has the potential to limit progression of focal lesions and prevent ongoing cartilage degeneration by modulating the joint environment and/or contributing to repair. Integrin α10β1 is the main collagen type II binding receptor on chondrocytes, and MSCs that are selected for high expression of the α10 subunit have improved chondrogenic potential. The ability of α10β1-selected (integrin α10high) MSCs to protect cartilage after injury has not been investigated. To investigate integrin α10high MSCs to prevent postt...
Millican AA, Leatherwood JL, Coverdale JA, Arnold CE, Bradbery AN, Larson CK, Lamprecht ED, White SH, Paulk CB, Welsh TH, Wickersham TA.Sixteen weanling Quarter Horses (255 ± 22 kg) were utilized in a 56-d trial to evaluate the effects of trace mineral (TM) source on intra-articular inflammation following a single acute inflammatory insult. Horses were stratified by age, sex, and BW and then randomly assigned to dietary treatment: concentrate formulated with Zn, Mn, Cu, and Co as inorganic sources (CON; n = 8) or complexed TMs (CTM; n = 8). Added TM were formulated at iso-levels across treatments and intakes met or exceeded NRC requirements. Horses were offered 1.75% BW (as-fed) of treatment concentrate and 0.75% BW (as-fed) ...
Gilbertie JM, Schaer TP, Schubert AG, Jacob ME, Menegatti S, Ashton Lavoie R, Schnabel LV.Infectious arthritis is difficult to treat in both human and veterinary clinical practice. Recent literature reports Staphylococcus aureus as well as other gram-positive and gram-negative isolates forming free-floating biofilms in both human and equine synovial fluid that are tolerant to traditional antimicrobial therapy. Using an in vitro equine model, we investigated the ability of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) formulations to combat synovial fluid biofilm aggregates. Synovial fluid was infected, and biofilm aggregates allowed to form over a 2-hour period. PRP was collected and processed into d...
Storgaard IH, Kristensen J, Larsen C, Mertz N, Østergaard J, Larsen SW.Intra-articular depot injectables based on in situ suspension formation of ester prodrugs of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are promising for management of joint pain. As candidates for this delivery approach, 5 diclofenac ester prodrugs comprising different imidazole-containing promoieties were synthesized and their physicochemical properties characterized. In vitro hydrolysis rates were investigated in buffer solutions, in 40% (v/v) human, equine, canine, and rat plasma, and in 80% (v/v) human and equine synovial fluid. Bioconversion of the prodrugs to diclofenac was found to be enzym...
Norvall A, Cota JG, Pusterla N, Cissell D.Equine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) diseases are increasingly recognized as a problem for the well-being and performance of horses. Diagnosis is confounded by overlap of clinical signs associated with pathology of the oral cavity, poll, and cervical vertebrae. Arthrocentesis for intra-articular analgesia, sampling of synovial fluid, and medication is needed for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Ultrasound features of the normal TMJ and a blind arthrocentesis technique have been described, but a systematic approach to ultrasound-guided (USG) arthrocentesis has not been reported. Ultrasound ...
Moss KL, Jiang Z, Dodson ME, Linardi RL, Haughan J, Gale AL, Grzybowski C, Engiles JE, Stefanovski D, Robinson MA, Ortved KF.Joint trauma leads to post-traumatic inflammation with upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and degradative enzymes. If severe enough, this response can lead to irreversible post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Interleukin-10 (IL-10), a cytokine with potent anti-inflammatory effects, has been shown to have chondroprotective effects. A gene therapy approach using a vector to overexpress IL-10 in the joint represents a feasible method of delivering sustained high doses of IL-10 to post-traumatic joints. We hypothesized that an AAV5 vector overexpressing IL-10 would result in rapid and sustained IL-1...
Graham RJTY, Anderson JR, Phelan MM, Cillan-Garcia E, Bladon BM, Taylor SE.Palmar osteochondral disease (POD) is a common cause of lameness in competition horses. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive diagnostic modality currently available, however it may not be financially or logistically practical for routine screening of POD. There is increasing interest in the use of metabolomics for diagnosis prior to progression to irreversible damage. Objective: To determine metabolite levels in synovial fluid (SF) of horses with a clinical diagnosis of POD based on diagnostic analgesia and MRI, with the hypothesis that metabolomic profiles differ between dis...
Neuenschwander HM, Moreira JJ, Vendruscolo CP, Fülber J, Seidel SRT, Michelacci YM, Baccarin RYA.The intra-articular use of hyaluronic acid (HA) for the treatment of synovitis and osteoarthritis is still controversial. As a consequence, corticosteroids remain the most frequently employed therapeutic agents, despite their potential systemic and local deleterious effects. This study examined the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and chondroprotective activities of low and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW-HA and HMW-HA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced synovitis in horses compared to triamcinolone acetonide (TA). LPS was injected in the metacarpophalangeal joints, which were treat...
Snowden RT, Schumacher J, Blackford JT, Cypher EE, Cox SK, Sun X, Whitlock BK.To determine whether therapeutic concentrations (> 0.5 to 1.0 μg/mL) of polymyxin B (PB) were achieved in the tarsocrural joint of horses when the drug was administered by IV regional limb perfusion (IV-RLP) via a saphenous vein at doses of 25, 50, and 300 mg and to describe any adverse systemic or local effects associated with such administration. Methods: 9 healthy adult horses. Methods: In the first of 2 experiments, 6 horses each received 25 and 50 mg of PB by IV-RLP via a saphenous vein with at least 2 weeks between treatments. For each treatment, a tourniquet was placed at the midmetata...
Coppelman EB, David FH, Tóth F, Ernst NS, Trumble TN.Osteoarthritis (OA) of the distal intertarsal (DIT) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints occurs commonly. Synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers of collagen and bone turnover have potential clinical value. Objective: To measure SF biomarker concentrations from DIT and TMT joints in adult horses and determine if they correlate with radiographic OA severity and are higher in joints with radiographic OA compared to controls. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Radiographic OA of DIT and TMT joints was evaluated from adult horses (5-35 years old). Overall radiographic scores divided horses into those with mil...
Johnston GCA, Wood KA, Jackson KV, Perkins NR, Zedler ST.Intra-articular (IA) hyaluronic acid (HA) is commonly used to treat equine arthritis. Inflammatory response or "joint flare" is a recognized potential side effect. However, the incidence and severity of inflammation following IA HA injection in horses is not well documented. This study compared the effects of two IA HA formulations of different molecular weight (MW) and a saline control on clinical signs and synovial fluid markers of inflammation in normal equine joints. Eight adult horses each had three healthy fetlock joints randomly assigned to treatment with either 1.4 mega Dalton HA, 0.8 ...
Crosby DE, Labens R, Hughes KJ, Nielsen S, Hilbert BJ.Synovial infections (SI) are common in horses of all ages and can be associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Identifying factors influencing survival and return to function may be useful for management of affected individuals and determination of prognosis. The objectives of this study were to identify factors associated with survival and return to function of horses and foals with SI presented to an equine hospital. This study is a retrospective case series. Data were collected from medical records of all horses with SI that were presented to a single equine hospital between Ap...
Skiöldebrand E, Lorenzo P, Zunino L, Rucklidge GJ, Sandgren B, Carlsten J, Ekman S.The aim of the present investigation was to study the metabolic activity of the third carpal bone and the release of COMP, aggrecan and collagen type II molecules in the synovial fluid as a result of injury. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), aggrecan and collagen type II or fragments of these molecules released to the synovial fluid and serum (COMP) were quantified in samples from 73 left equine middle carpal joints from 2 breeds with different activity profiles (52 Standardbred trotters [STB] and 21 Swedish Warmblood riding horses [SWH]) and different articular cartilage lesions. Sy...
Womble AY, Giguère S, Lee EA, Vickroy TW.To determine pharmacokinetics of clarithromycin and concentrations in body fluids and bronchoalveolar (BAL) cells of foals. Methods: 6 healthy 2-to 3-week-old foals. Methods: In a crossover design, clarithromycin (7.5 mg/kg) was administered to each foal via IV and intragastric (IG) routes. After the initial IG administration, 5 additional doses were administered IG at 12-hour intervals. Concentrations of clarithromycin and its 14-hydroxy metabolite were measured in serum by use of high-performance liquid chromatography. A microbiologic assay was used to measure clarithromycin activity in seru...
Burgess EC.Blood samples from Wisconsin horses and cows suspected of having clinical disease due to Borrelia burgdorferi infection were submitted by veterinary practitioners. All serum, milk, colostrum, and synovial samples were tested for B. burgdorferi antibodies by immunofluorescence. Whole blood, milk, colostrum, and synovial fluid samples were cultured for B. burgdorferi. Records were kept on the clinical signs of antibody-positive animals, date of sample, and location of the animal by county. Of the samples tested for antibodies 282/430 cow sera, 118/190 horse sera, 5/10 cow synovial fluids, 3/6 ho...
Pinto N, Schumacher J, Taintor J, Degraves F, Duran S, Boothe D.No studies have determined the pharmacokinetics of low-dose amikacin in the mature horse. Objective: To determine if a single i.v. dose of amikacin (10 mg/kg bwt) will reach therapeutic concentrations in plasma, synovial, peritoneal and interstitial fluid of mature horses (n=6). Methods: Drug concentrations of amikacin were measured across time in mature horses (n=6); plasma, synovial, peritoneal and interstitial fluid were collected after a single i.v. dose of amikacin (10 mg/kg bwt). Results: The mean±s.d. of selected parameters were: extrapolated plasma concentration of amikacin at time ze...
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...
Lloyd KC, Stover SM, Pascoe JR, Baggot JD, Kurpershoek C, Hietala S.The concentration of gentamicin in plasma and synovial fluid of normal adult horses was measured periodically for 24 hours after IV (2.2 mg/kg of body weight), intra-articular (IA; 150 mg), and simultaneous IV and IA administrations. Gentamicin also was buffered with sodium bicarbonate (3 mEq) and then was administered IA and simultaneously IV and IA. Synovial fluid specimens were obtained via an indwelling catheter placed into the antebrachiocarpal joint. The peak mean plasma gentamicin concentration (8.30 micrograms/ml) after IV administration was significantly (P less than 0.05) greater tha...
Brown MP, Trumble TN, Plaas AH, Sandy JD, Romano M, Hernandez J, Merritt KA.(1) To investigate the effects of exercise and osteochondral (OC) injury on synovial fluid (SF) chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronan (HA) concentration and chain length, (2) to compare SF and cartilage CS data from joints with OC fragmentation, and (3) to compare SF CS and HA profiles with those seen in serum from the same horses. Methods: Serum and SF were obtained from (1) normal horses after 8 weeks rest, (2) the same horses after 9 months treadmill training, and (3) horses with OC injury from racing. Articular cartilage was also collected from group 3 horses. Concentrations and chain le...
Robinson CS, Timofte D, Singer ER, Rimmington L, Rubio-Martínez LM.Bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of septic synovial samples allows instigation of targeted antimicrobial therapy; however, bacterial culture takes more than 24 h and has low sensitivity. This study aimed to identify the most frequently cultured bacteria and their antimicrobial susceptibility profile from septic synovial samples in our referral equine hospital, to allow recommendations regarding appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy prior to culture results. Hospital records for all horses with synovial sepsis and a synovial sample submitted to the microbiology l...
McCoy AM, Kemper AM, Boyce MK, Brown MP, Trumble TN.Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common and significant problem in equine athletes. It is a disease of the entire joint, with the synovium thought to be a key player in disease onset and progression due to its role in inflammation. The development of effective tools for early diagnosis and treatment of PTOA remains an elusive goal. Altered gene expression represents the earliest discernable disease-related change, and can provide valuable information about disease pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets. However, there is limited work examining global gene expression c...
Mills ML, Rush BR, St Jean G, Gaughan EM, Mosier D, Gibson E, Freeman L.To determine the serum and synovial fluid concentrations of ceftiofur sodium after intraarticular (IA) and intravenous (IV) administration and to evaluate the morphologic changes after intraarticular ceftiofur sodium administration. Methods: Strip plot design for the ceftiofur sodium serum and synovial fluid concentrations and a split plot design for the cytologic and histopathologic evaluation. Methods: Six healthy adult horses without lameness. Methods: Stage 1: Ceftiofur sodium (2.2 mg/kg) was administered IV. Stage 2: 150 mg (3 mL) of ceftiofur sodium (pHavg 6.57) was administered IA into ...
Machado TSL, Massoco CO, Silva LCLC, Fülber J, Moreira JJ, Baccarin RYA.To compare effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP), autologous processed plasma (APP), and sodium hyaluronate treatments on synovial fluid cells in vitro and on synovial fluid obtained from osteochondrotic joints of horses. Methods: Synovial fluid cells from 8 healthy equine tibiotarsal joints (in vitro experiment) and synovial fluid samples from 40 tibiotarsal joints of 25 horses with osteochondrosis dissecans (in vivo experiment). Methods: Effects of various treatments on concentrations of prostaglandin (PG) E2, interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necr...
Orsini JA, Soma LR, Rourke JE, Park M.The pharmacokinetics of amikacin sulfate (AK) were studied in the horse after intravenous (i.v.) and intramuscular (i.m.) administration. Serum (Cs), synovial (Csf) and peritoneal (Cpf) fluid concentrations of the drug were measured. Doses of 4.4, 6.6 and 11.0 mg/kg were given. The concentrations at 15 min following i.v. injection were 30.3 +/- 0.3, 61.2 +/- 6.9 and 122.8 +/- 7.4 micrograms/ml, respectively, for the 4.4, 6.6 and 11.0 mg/kg doses. Mean peak Cs values after the intramuscular injections occurred at 1.0 h post-injection and were 13.3 +/- 1.6, 23.0 +/- 0.6 and 29.8 +/- 3.2 microgra...
White KK, Hodgson DR, Hancock D, Parry BW, Cordell C.The effects of repeated arthrocentesis and injection of local anesthetic agents, lidocaine HCl or mepivacaine HCl on the equine middle carpal joint were investigated. Synovial fluid samples were evaluated before, and 12, 24 and 48 hours following, treatment. The greatest changes from pretreatment values occurred in synovial fluid cellularity. Repeated arthrocentesis caused a moderate increase in cell counts, while injection of local anesthetics caused a greater increase. Alterations in mucin clot quality, hyaluronic acid content, fluid viscosity, total protein and immunoglobulin G were general...
Zayed M, Adair S, Dhar M.Synovial fluid contains cytokines, growth factors and resident mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The present study aimed to (1) determine the effects of autologous and allogeneic synovial fluid on viability, proliferation and chondrogenesis of equine bone marrow MSCs (BMMSCs) and (2) compare the immunomodulatory properties of equine synovial fluid MSCs (SFMSCs) and BMMSCs after stimulation with interferon gamma (INF-γ). To meet the first aim of the study, the proliferation and viability of MSCs were evaluated by MTS and calcein AM staining assays. To induce chondrogenesis, MSCs were cultured in ...
Maher MC, Schnabel LV, Cross JA, Papich MG, Divers TJ, Fortier LA.To determine whether low-dose, low-frequency doxycycline administration is capable of achieving chondroprotective concentrations within synovial fluid (SF) while remaining below minimum inhibitory concentration 90 (MIC90 ) of most equine pathogens and would be an option in the management of osteoarthritis. Objective: To determine whether low-dose, low-frequency oral administration of doxycycline can attain in vivo SF concentrations capable of chondroprotective effects through reduction of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 activity, while remaining below MIC90 of most equine pathogens. Method...
Knych HK, Vidal MA, Casbeer HC, McKemie DS.The use of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in performance horses necessitates establishing appropriate withdrawal times prior to performance. Objective: To describe the plasma pharmacokinetics of TA and time-related urine and synovial fluid concentrations following i.m. and intra-articular administration to exercised Thoroughbred horses. Methods: Block design. Methods: Twelve racing fit adult Thoroughbred horses received a single i.m. administration of TA (0.1 mg/kg bwt). After an appropriate washout period, the same horses then received a single intra-articular TA administration (9 mg) into the ...
Miagkoff L, Girard CA, St-Jean G, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Laverty S.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of equine lameness. Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are now considered to be promising therapeutic targets in human rheumatology for pain and inflammation, however, little is known about the equine endocannabinoid system. Objective: The primary goal was to assess the presence and expression pattern of CB1 and CB2 in the synovium of healthy joints. A secondary goal was to explore the relationship between the CB expression, degree of synovitis and OA pathology. Methods: Ex vivo experimental study. Methods: Metacarpophalangeal joints (n = 25) from a tissue bank w...
Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW, Kawcak CE, Werpy NM, Pearce GL.To assess the clinical, biochemical, and histologic effects of topically administered diclofenac liposomal cream (DLC) in the treatment of horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis. Methods: 24 horses. Methods: Osteoarthritis was induced arthroscopically in 1 middle carpal joint of all horses. Eight horses treated with DLC were given 7.3 g twice daily via topical application. Eight horses treated with phenylbutazone were given 2 g orally once daily. Eight control horses received no treatment. Evaluations included clinical, radiographic, magnetic resonance imaging, synovial fluid, gross...
Bianchessi M, Chen Y, Durgam S, Pondenis H, Stewart M.Mesenchymal stem cells have been identified in the synovial fluid of several species. This study was conducted to characterize chondroprogenitor (CP) cells in equine synovial fluid (SF) and to determine the effect of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) on SF-CP monolayer proliferation and subsequent chondrogenesis. We hypothesized that FGF-2 would stimulate SF-CP proliferation and postexpansion chondrogenesis. SF aspirates were collected from adult equine joints. Colony-forming unit (CFU) assays were performed during primary cultures. At first passage, SF-cells were seeded at low density, with ...
Dymock DC, Brown MP, Merritt KA, Trumble TN.To determine whether stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) concentrations in serum, plasma, and synovial fluid differed among untrained, race-trained, and osteochondral-injured Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: 22 racehorses without osteochondral injury and 37 racehorses with osteochondral injury. Methods: Horses without osteochondral injury were examined before and after 5 to 6 months of race training. Horses with osteochondral injury were undergoing arthroscopic surgery for removal of osteochondral fragments from carpal or metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joints (fetlock joints). S...
Brama PA, TeKoppele JM, Beekman B, van El B, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.To investigate the role of stromelysin (MMP-3) activity in synovial fluid (SF) at different stages of development and in common joint disorders in the horse. Methods: Stromelysin activity was determined with a fluorogenic enzyme activity assay in SF of normal joints of fetal, juvenile and adult horses, and in SF of horses suffering from the developmental orthopaedic disease osteochondrosis (OC) or osteoarthritis (OA). Additionally, MMP-3 activity was expressed as a ratio of previously reported general MMP activity in the same SF samples. Results: The levels of active stromelysin were 30-fold t...
Wong BL, Kim SH, Antonacci JM, McIlwraith CW, Sah RL.To determine the effects of acute injury and tribosupplementation by hyaluronan (HA) on synovial fluid (SF) modulation of cartilage shear during tibio-femoral articulation. Methods: Human osteochondral blocks from the lateral femoral condyle (LFC) and tibial plateau (LTP) were apposed, compressed 13%, and subjected to sliding under video microscopy. Tests were conducted with equine SF from normal joints (NL-SF), SF from acutely injured joints (AI-SF), and AI-SF to which HA was added (AI-SF+HA). Local and overall shear strain (E(xz)) and the lateral displacement (Deltax) at which E(xz) reached ...
Jacks S, Giguère S, Gronwall PR, Brown MP, Merritt KA.To determine the pharmacokinetics of azithromycin and its concentration in body fluids and bronchoalveolar lavage cells in foals. Methods: 6 healthy 6- to 10-week-old foals. Methods: Azithromycin (10 mg/kg of body weight) was administered to each foal via i.v. and intragastric (i.g.) routes in a crossover design. After the first i.g. dose, 4 additional i.g. doses were administered at 24-hour intervals. A microbiologic assay was used to measure azithromycin concentrations in serum, peritoneal fluid, synovial fluid, pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF), and bronchoalveolar (BAL) cells. Resul...
Moser DK, Schoonover MJ, Holbrook TC, Payton ME.To determine the effect of volume of amikacin perfusate for intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) via the cephalic vein in standing, sedated horses on (1) amikacin concentrations in the synovial fluid of the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) and distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) and, (2) amikacin concentration in the systemic circulation, and (3) regional intravenous pressure. Methods: Randomized cross-over design. Methods: Six adult horses. Methods: Each horse received IVRLP using 4 perfusate volumes (10, 30, 60 & 120 ml) in random order, after a minimum of 1 week washout. After application of ...
Moreira JJ, Moraes AP, Brossi PM, Machado TS, Michelacci YM, Massoco CO, Baccarin RY.This experimental controlled study was performed to evaluate the composition of autologous processed plasma (APP), and the effects of APP intra-articular injection into healthy equine metacarpophalangeal joints. The effects on joints were analysed with a short-phase protocol and a prolonged-phase protocol using saline-injected joints as controls. For the short protocol, horses received one intra-articular APP injection. Synovial fluid samples were collected prior to the injection and 3, 6, 24, 48, and 16 h after treatment. For the prolonged protocol, the joints received three weekly injections...
Grissom MJ, Temple-Wong MM, Adams MS, Tom M, Schumacher BL, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR, Chu CR, Sah RL.Following various types of naturally-occurring traumatic injury to an articular joint, the lubricating ability of synovial fluid is impaired, with a correlated alteration in the concentration and/or structure of lubricant molecules, hyaluronan and proteoglycan-4. However, the effect of arthroscopic cartilage repair surgery on synovial fluid lubricant function and composition is unknown. Objective: Arthroscopic treatment of full-thickness chondral defects in horses with (1) platelet-enriched fibrin or (2) platelet-enriched fibrin+mesenchymal stem cells leads to equine synovial fluid with impair...
Koziy RV, Yoshimura S, Dickinson R, Rybicka JM, Moshynskyy I, Ngeleka M, Bracamonte JL, Simko E.Septic arthritis is an important disease in horses, necessitating aggressive and prolonged therapy. In order to guide therapy, reliable methods of detecting the eradication of infection are needed. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate detection of eradication of infection in an experimental model of equine septic arthritis using standard diagnostic techniques. For this purpose, 17 adult horses were assigned to 3 experimental groups. The middle carpal joint of each horse was injected with (Septic group, = 8), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (LPS group, = 6), or sterile saline (...
Piat P, Richard H, Beauchamp G, Laverty S.To assess the effects of an intra-articular (IA) lidocaine or bupivacaine injection on synovial fluid (SF) biomarkers of cartilage metabolism. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Horses (n = 6). Methods: The study had 2 components, each with an identical design: the first arm assessed the effects of bupivacaine (0.5%) IA in the intercarpal joints and, after a 2-week washout period, the second was conducted to evaluate the effects of IA lidocaine (2%) in the tarsocrural joints. The mares were randomly assigned to receive the test local anesthetic in the target joint or the placebo (0.9% NaCl) in th...
Journal of proteomicsApril 25, 2019
Volume 202 103370 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2019.04.020
Anderson JR, Smagul A, Simpson D, Clegg PD, Rubio-Martinez LM, Peffers MJ.Articular conditions are common in horses and can result in loss of function, chronic pain and/or inability to work. Common conditions include osteoarthritis, osteochondrosis and synovial sepsis, which can be life-threatening, but despite the high clinical prevalence of these conditions, rapid and specific diagnosis, monitoring and prognostication remains a challenge for practicing veterinarians. Synovial fluid from a range of arthropathies was enriched for low abundance proteins using combinatorial peptide ligand ProteoMiner™ beads and analysed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrom...
Rowland AL, Xu JJ, Joswig AJ, Gregory CA, Antczak DF, Cummings KJ, Watts AE.We recently demonstrated that intracellular xenogen-contaminated autologous MSCs (FBS) and non-xenogen-contaminated allogeneic (ALLO) MSCs caused an adverse clinical response after repeated intra-articular injection in horses, whereas autologous (AUTO) MSCs did not. Our current objective was to use clinical data from the previous study to compare MSC stemness against adverse response indicated by synovial total nucleated cell count (TNCC) following intra-articular MSC injection. Stemness, quantified by a trilineage differentiation (TLD) score; immunomodulation, quantified by mixed lymphocyte ...
