The synovial membrane is a specialized connective tissue that lines the inner surface of synovial joints in horses. It is responsible for producing synovial fluid, which lubricates and nourishes the articular cartilage, facilitating smooth joint movement. The synovial membrane is composed of a thin layer of cells, primarily synoviocytes, which contribute to the maintenance of joint homeostasis. Inflammation or injury to the synovial membrane can lead to synovitis, affecting joint function and health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the structure, function, and pathological conditions associated with the synovial membrane in equine species.
Goodrich LR, McIlwraith CW, Grieger J, Kraus VB, Stabler T, Werpy N, Phillips J, Samulski RJ, Frisbie D.To evaluate the effects of a gene transfer approach to IL-1β inhibition in an equine osteochondral chip fragment model of joint injury using a self-complementary adeno-associated virus with interleukin receptor antagonist transgene cassette (scAAVIL-1ra), as posttraumatic osteoarthritis in horses, similar to people, is a significant clinical problem. Methods: 16 horses were utilized for the study. Methods: All horses had an osteochondral chip fragment induced arthroscopically in one middle carpal joint while the contralateral joint was sham operated. Eight horses received either scAAVIL-1ra o...
Andersen C, Walters M, Bundgaard L, Berg LC, Vonk LA, Lundgren-Åkerlund E, Henriksen BL, Lindegaard C, Skovgaard K, Jacobsen S.Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a major cause of lameness in horses, which leads to lost days of training and early retirement. Still, the underlying pathological processes are poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that serve as regulators of many biological processes including OA. Analysis of miRNA expression in diseased joint tissues such as cartilage and synovial membrane may help to elucidate OA pathology. Since integrin α10β1-selected mesenchymal stem cell (integrin α10-MSC) have shown mitigating effect on equine OA we here investigated the effect of integrin α10...
McClure SR, Peitzmeier MD, Jackman BR, Evans RB, Ziegler CL, Ganta CK.Polyacrylamide hydrogel (4% PAHG) is an inert viscoelastic supplement used to manage osteoarthritis in horses. Even with a prolonged clinical effect, horses may be administered multiple doses during their performance career. The effect of the serial 4% PAHG treatments is not known. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the clinical, histologic, and synovial fluid biomarker effects following serial administration of 4% PAHG in normal equine fetlock joints. Methods: 8 healthy horses. Methods: In a blinded, controlled in vivo study, horses received serial intra-articular injections of 4% ...
Antunes J, Salcedo-Jiménez R, Lively S, Potla P, Coté N, Dubois MS, Koenig J, Kapoor M, LaMarre J, Koch TG.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of lameness in horses with no effective disease-modifying treatment and challenging early diagnosis. OA is considered a disease of the joint involving the articular cartilage, subchondral bone, synovial membrane, and ligaments. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a joint disease consisting of focal defects in the osteochondral unit which may progress to OA later in life. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized as small non-coding RNAs that regulate a variety of biological processes and have been detected in biological fluids. MiRNAs are currently investiga...
Leal Reis I, Lopes B, Sousa P, Sousa AC, Branquinho MV, Caseiro AR, Rêma A, Briote I, Mendonça CM, Santos JM, Atayde LM, Alvites RD, Maurício AC.Horses are high-performance athletes prone to sportive injuries such as tendonitis and desmitis. The formation of fibrous tissue in tendon repair remains a challenge to overcome. This impels regenerative medicine to develop innovative therapies that enhance regeneration, retrieving original tissue properties. Multipotent Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSCs) have been successfully used to develop therapeutic products, as they secrete a variety of bioactive molecules that play a pivotal role in tissue regeneration. These factors are released in culture media for producing a conditioned medium (...
Thampi P, Seabaugh KA, Pezzanite LM, Chu CR, Phillips JN, Grieger JC, McIlwraith CW, Samulski RJ, Goodrich LR.Gene therapy approaches using adeno-associated viral vectors have been successfully tested in the equine post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) model. Owing to differences in the levels of transgene expression and adverse tissue reactions observed in published studies, we sought to identify a safe therapeutic dose of scAAVIL-1ra in an inflamed and injured joint that would result in improved functional outcomes without any adverse events. scAAVIL-1ra was delivered intra-articularly over a 100-fold range, and horses were evaluated throughout and at the end of the 10-week study. A dose-related incr...
Gale AL, Mammone RM, Dodson ME, Linardi RL, Ortved KF.Joint injury is extremely common in equine athletes and post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a progressive and debilitating disease, is estimated to affect 60% of horses in the USA. The limited potential for intrinsic healing of articular cartilage has prompted intense efforts to identify a cell-based repair strategy to prevent progression of PTOA. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to become an ideal source for cell-based treatment of cartilage lesions; however, full chondrogenic differentiation remains elusive. Due to the relatively low oxygen tension in articular cartilage, h...
Santos VHD, Pfeifer JPH, Souza JB, Stievani FC, Hussni CA, Golim MA, Deffune E, Alves ALG.Osteoarthritis is an incapacitating disease characterized by pain and a progressive decrease in joint mobility. The implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown promising results for its treatment. The challenge remains to keep the cells longer at the site of action, increasing their therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Qtracker® 655 nanocrystal marking on allogeneic synovial membrane (SM) MSCs, encapsulated in alginate hydrogel, evaluating the migration of these cells. The 10 radiocarpal joints were submitted to arthroscopic surgery...
Santos VH, Pfeifer JPH, de Souza JB, Milani BHG, de Oliveira RA, Assis MG, Deffune E, Moroz A, Alves ALG.The original article [1] contained a minor error regarding the mean diameter of the alginate microcapsules described in relation to Fig. 4 in the Results section. The microcapsules had an actual mean diameter of 3000 μm instead of 1000 μm as mistakenly mentioned in the original article.
Ivester KM, Adams SB, Moore GE, Van Sickle DC, Lescun TB.To determine synovial fluid gentamicin concentrations and evaluate adverse effects on the synovial membrane and articular cartilage of tarsocrural joints after implantation of a gentamicin-impregnated collagen sponge. Methods: 6 healthy adult mares. Methods: A purified bovine type I collagen sponge impregnated with 130 mg of gentamicin was implanted in the plantarolateral pouch of 1 tarsocrural joint of each horse, with the contralateral joint used as a sham-operated control joint. Gentamicin concentrations in synovial fluid and serum were determined for 120 hours after implantation by use of ...
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...
Lescun TB, Adams SB, Wu CC, Bill RP, Van Sickle DC.To determine the effects of a continuous intra-articular infusion of gentamicin on the synovial membrane and articular cartilage in the tarsocrural joint of horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: A balloon infusion system attached to a catheter placed in the plantarolateral pouch of both tarsocrural joints in each horse was used for continuous gentamicin solution (GM) or balanced electrolyte solution (BES) delivery for 5 days. Cartilage and synovial membrane specimens were collected on day 5 from 3 horses and on day 14 from the remaining 3 horses. Both infused joints from each horse...
Hardy J, Bertone AL, Muir WW.We measured regional blood flow in synovial tissue of the antebrachiocarpal, midcarpal, and metacarpophalangeal joints of six normal adult anesthetized horses by using 15-microns-diameter polystyrene colored microspheres. The midcarpal fibrous capsule and synovial membrane blood flows (SMBF) were compared, and the effect of increased intra-articular pressure (30 and 60 mmHg) on midcarpal SMBF was investigated. Dorsal, medial palmar, and lateral palmar midcarpal SMBF measured 108 +/- 36, 61 +/- 12, and 50 +/- 11 microliters.min-1.g-1, respectively. Antebrachiocarpal, dorsal, and palmar metacarp...
Whitehair KJ, Blevins WE, Fessler JF, Van Sickle DC, White MR, Bill RP.Regional perfusion of carpal tissues by forced intramedullary administration of fluids was evaluated in 10 horses. Results of subtraction radiography after perfusion with a contrast medium demonstrated that perfusate was delivered to the carpal tissues by the venous system. Perfused India ink was distributed uniformly in the antebrachiocarpal and middle carpal synovial membranes. Histologically, the ink was within the venules of the synovial villi. Immediately after perfusion with gentamicin sulfate (1 g), the gentamicin concentrations in the synovial fluid and synovial membrane of the antebra...
Hoffer MA, Leach DH, Doige CE.The navicular bone, navicular bursa and their associated structures were collected from 20 horses ranging in age from 80 days gestation to 2 years post-gestation. The right front foot of every horse was sampled for light microscopy. The development of the navicular bursa and associated structures were studied. Study of the developmental anatomy of the equine navicular bursa established that the bursa is a distinct entity in both the fetus and the adult horse. Development of the bursal cavity in the fetus was found to be complete by 120 days of gestation. Synovial membrane of the navicular burs...
Gale AL, Mammone RM, Dodson ME, Linardi RL, Ortved KF.Joint injury is extremely common in equine athletes and post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), a progressive and debilitating disease, is estimated to affect 60% of horses in the USA. The limited potential for intrinsic healing of articular cartilage has prompted intense efforts to identify a cell-based repair strategy to prevent progression of PTOA. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to become an ideal source for cell-based treatment of cartilage lesions; however, full chondrogenic differentiation remains elusive. Due to the relatively low oxygen tension in articular cartilage, h...
Whitehair KJ, Blevins WE, Fessler JF, Van Sickle DC, White MR, Bill RP.Regional perfusion of carpal tissues by forced intramedullary administration of fluids was evaluated in 10 horses. Results of subtraction radiography after perfusion with a contrast medium demonstrated that perfusate was delivered to the carpal tissues by the venous system. Perfused India ink was distributed uniformly in the antebrachiocarpal and middle carpal synovial membranes. Histologically, the ink was within the venules of the synovial villi. Immediately after perfusion with gentamicin sulfate (1 g), the gentamicin concentrations in the synovial fluid and synovial membrane of the antebra...
Santos VHD, Pfeifer JPH, Souza JB, Stievani FC, Hussni CA, Golim MA, Deffune E, Alves ALG.Osteoarthritis is an incapacitating disease characterized by pain and a progressive decrease in joint mobility. The implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown promising results for its treatment. The challenge remains to keep the cells longer at the site of action, increasing their therapeutic potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Qtracker® 655 nanocrystal marking on allogeneic synovial membrane (SM) MSCs, encapsulated in alginate hydrogel, evaluating the migration of these cells. The 10 radiocarpal joints were submitted to arthroscopic surgery...
Lescun TB, Adams SB, Wu CC, Bill RP, Van Sickle DC.To determine the effects of a continuous intra-articular infusion of gentamicin on the synovial membrane and articular cartilage in the tarsocrural joint of horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: A balloon infusion system attached to a catheter placed in the plantarolateral pouch of both tarsocrural joints in each horse was used for continuous gentamicin solution (GM) or balanced electrolyte solution (BES) delivery for 5 days. Cartilage and synovial membrane specimens were collected on day 5 from 3 horses and on day 14 from the remaining 3 horses. Both infused joints from each horse...
Ivester KM, Adams SB, Moore GE, Van Sickle DC, Lescun TB.To determine synovial fluid gentamicin concentrations and evaluate adverse effects on the synovial membrane and articular cartilage of tarsocrural joints after implantation of a gentamicin-impregnated collagen sponge. Methods: 6 healthy adult mares. Methods: A purified bovine type I collagen sponge impregnated with 130 mg of gentamicin was implanted in the plantarolateral pouch of 1 tarsocrural joint of each horse, with the contralateral joint used as a sham-operated control joint. Gentamicin concentrations in synovial fluid and serum were determined for 120 hours after implantation by use of ...
Hoffer MA, Leach DH, Doige CE.The navicular bone, navicular bursa and their associated structures were collected from 20 horses ranging in age from 80 days gestation to 2 years post-gestation. The right front foot of every horse was sampled for light microscopy. The development of the navicular bursa and associated structures were studied. Study of the developmental anatomy of the equine navicular bursa established that the bursa is a distinct entity in both the fetus and the adult horse. Development of the bursal cavity in the fetus was found to be complete by 120 days of gestation. Synovial membrane of the navicular burs...
Santos VH, Pfeifer JPH, de Souza JB, Milani BHG, de Oliveira RA, Assis MG, Deffune E, Moroz A, Alves ALG.The original article [1] contained a minor error regarding the mean diameter of the alginate microcapsules described in relation to Fig. 4 in the Results section. The microcapsules had an actual mean diameter of 3000 μm instead of 1000 μm as mistakenly mentioned in the original article.
Thampi P, Seabaugh KA, Pezzanite LM, Chu CR, Phillips JN, Grieger JC, McIlwraith CW, Samulski RJ, Goodrich LR.Gene therapy approaches using adeno-associated viral vectors have been successfully tested in the equine post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) model. Owing to differences in the levels of transgene expression and adverse tissue reactions observed in published studies, we sought to identify a safe therapeutic dose of scAAVIL-1ra in an inflamed and injured joint that would result in improved functional outcomes without any adverse events. scAAVIL-1ra was delivered intra-articularly over a 100-fold range, and horses were evaluated throughout and at the end of the 10-week study. A dose-related incr...
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...
Hardy J, Bertone AL, Muir WW.We measured regional blood flow in synovial tissue of the antebrachiocarpal, midcarpal, and metacarpophalangeal joints of six normal adult anesthetized horses by using 15-microns-diameter polystyrene colored microspheres. The midcarpal fibrous capsule and synovial membrane blood flows (SMBF) were compared, and the effect of increased intra-articular pressure (30 and 60 mmHg) on midcarpal SMBF was investigated. Dorsal, medial palmar, and lateral palmar midcarpal SMBF measured 108 +/- 36, 61 +/- 12, and 50 +/- 11 microliters.min-1.g-1, respectively. Antebrachiocarpal, dorsal, and palmar metacarp...
Leal Reis I, Lopes B, Sousa P, Sousa AC, Branquinho MV, Caseiro AR, Rêma A, Briote I, Mendonça CM, Santos JM, Atayde LM, Alvites RD, Maurício AC.Horses are high-performance athletes prone to sportive injuries such as tendonitis and desmitis. The formation of fibrous tissue in tendon repair remains a challenge to overcome. This impels regenerative medicine to develop innovative therapies that enhance regeneration, retrieving original tissue properties. Multipotent Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells (MSCs) have been successfully used to develop therapeutic products, as they secrete a variety of bioactive molecules that play a pivotal role in tissue regeneration. These factors are released in culture media for producing a conditioned medium (...
Antunes J, Salcedo-Jiménez R, Lively S, Potla P, Coté N, Dubois MS, Koenig J, Kapoor M, LaMarre J, Koch TG.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of lameness in horses with no effective disease-modifying treatment and challenging early diagnosis. OA is considered a disease of the joint involving the articular cartilage, subchondral bone, synovial membrane, and ligaments. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a joint disease consisting of focal defects in the osteochondral unit which may progress to OA later in life. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized as small non-coding RNAs that regulate a variety of biological processes and have been detected in biological fluids. MiRNAs are currently investiga...
McClure SR, Peitzmeier MD, Jackman BR, Evans RB, Ziegler CL, Ganta CK.Polyacrylamide hydrogel (4% PAHG) is an inert viscoelastic supplement used to manage osteoarthritis in horses. Even with a prolonged clinical effect, horses may be administered multiple doses during their performance career. The effect of the serial 4% PAHG treatments is not known. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the clinical, histologic, and synovial fluid biomarker effects following serial administration of 4% PAHG in normal equine fetlock joints. Methods: 8 healthy horses. Methods: In a blinded, controlled in vivo study, horses received serial intra-articular injections of 4% ...
Andersen C, Walters M, Bundgaard L, Berg LC, Vonk LA, Lundgren-Åkerlund E, Henriksen BL, Lindegaard C, Skovgaard K, Jacobsen S.Osteoarthritis (OA) remains a major cause of lameness in horses, which leads to lost days of training and early retirement. Still, the underlying pathological processes are poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that serve as regulators of many biological processes including OA. Analysis of miRNA expression in diseased joint tissues such as cartilage and synovial membrane may help to elucidate OA pathology. Since integrin α10β1-selected mesenchymal stem cell (integrin α10-MSC) have shown mitigating effect on equine OA we here investigated the effect of integrin α10...
Goodrich LR, McIlwraith CW, Grieger J, Kraus VB, Stabler T, Werpy N, Phillips J, Samulski RJ, Frisbie D.To evaluate the effects of a gene transfer approach to IL-1β inhibition in an equine osteochondral chip fragment model of joint injury using a self-complementary adeno-associated virus with interleukin receptor antagonist transgene cassette (scAAVIL-1ra), as posttraumatic osteoarthritis in horses, similar to people, is a significant clinical problem. Methods: 16 horses were utilized for the study. Methods: All horses had an osteochondral chip fragment induced arthroscopically in one middle carpal joint while the contralateral joint was sham operated. Eight horses received either scAAVIL-1ra o...
