A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study on the efficacy of a unique extract of green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) in horses with chronic fetlock lameness attributed to osteoarthritis.

This research investigates the effects of the extract of Green-lipped mussel (Biolane) in reducing lameness due to osteoarthritis in horses, and found significant improvement with its use.

Study Objective and Design

• The central goal of this research was to investigate the efficacy of a specific extract of green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus[LPPC]), Biolane, in improving osteoarthritis symptoms in the equine fetlock.
• This was achieved through a controlled, randomised, and double-blinded multi-centre clinical trial involving 26 horses suffering from primary fetlock lameness.
• The chosen study design was a partial crossover with a washout period, involving a treatment group of 19 horses given the LPPC and a control group of 20 horses provided with a placebo.

Methods and Treatment

• The horses were administered an oral dosage of 25mg/kg body weight per day of either the LPPC or a placebo for a period spanning 56 days.
• The scale of the treatment’s effectiveness was gauged via clinical assessment of lameness, passive flexion, along with pain, swelling, and heat in the ailing joint.
• An ordinal logistic model with random effects for horse and horse x treatment was employed to analyse the relationships between variables as per a modified intention-to-treat analysis.

Key Findings

• Horses with fetlock lameness treated with LPPC displayed a significant decrease in lameness severity compared to those treated with placebo.
• The treatment with LPPC also improved the horse’s response to the joint flexion test and substantially reduced joint pain.

Conclusion

• The study concluded that LPPC notably alleviated lameness severity and joint pain and facilitated a better response to joint flexion in horses suffering from osteoarthritis-related lameness in the fetlock.