Clodronate improves lameness in horses without changing bone turnover markers.
Abstract: Clodronate is prescribed to performance horses with lameness. Despite its clinical popularity, little research has been done to understand the effects of clodronate in the horse. Objective: Our objective was to determine if a single treatment with clodronate at the clinically approved dose altered bone remodelling, bone cell recruitment or lameness in the horse. Methods: Twelve university-owned equestrian team competition horses with a history of forelimb lameness due to navicular syndrome were randomised to receive either 1.4 mg/kg clodronate (CLOD n = 6) or an equivalent volume of LRS (CONT; n = 6) in a blinded manner. Methods: Blood was evaluated weekly for 8 weeks before and after drug administration (clodronate or placebo) for bone turnover markers CTX-I and osteocalcin. Lameness evaluations were performed to assess for change in lameness 1 week before and 1, 2, 3 and 8 weeks after drug administration. Coach questionnaires were performed to assess for change in ridden performance 1, 2, 3 and 8 weeks after drug administration. Bone cell recruitment was evaluated in vitro 2 weeks before and after drug administration. Results: There were no differences in in vitro bone cell recruitment from whole bone marrow or in bone turnover markers CTX-I or osteocalcin. A small but significant decrease in forelimb lameness was detected in CLOD treated horses 1 week after treatment (P = 0.005). There were no significant differences in hindlimb lameness. Coaches identified an improvement in performance significantly more often in CLOD vs. CONT (P = 0.01) at week 8. Conclusions: Two CONT horses received intra-articular anti-inflammatory medication after treatment, which may have altered lameness results. Conclusions: A single dose of clodronate appears to reduce lameness without producing detectable effects on bone turnover markers. Due to the long half-life of a bisphosphonate drug, the effect of multiple doses on bone remodelling and lameness should be investigated. The Summary is available in Portuguese - see Supporting Information.
© 2018 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2018-09-22 PubMed ID: 30153345DOI: 10.1111/evj.13011Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research study explores the impact of clodronate, a commonly prescribed drug for performance horses battling lameness, by attempting to understand if it alters bone remodeling, bone cell recruitment, or lameness. The findings reveal that a single dosage of clodronate successfully reduces lameness without significantly affecting bone turnover markers.
Research Methodology
- The study incorporated 12 university-owned equestrian team competition horses with a history of forelimb lameness due to navicular syndrome. The horses were divided into two equal groups, one receiving a clinical dose of clodronate (1.4 mg/kg), and the other receiving a placebo.
- To study the effects of the drug, researchers collected blood samples weekly for 8 weeks prior and post-drug administration, which were tested for bone turnover markers CTX-I and osteocalcin.
- Lameness evaluations were conducted one week before and 1, 2, 3, and 8 weeks post-treatment. Additional feedback was obtained through coach questionnaires to assess changes in ridden performance.
- Bone cell recruitment was studied in vitro two weeks before and after drug administration.
Research Findings
- No significant difference was observed in in vitro bone cell recruitment from whole bone marrow or in the bone turnover markers CTX-I or osteocalcin.
- A small, notable decrease in forelimb lameness was detected in the clodronate treated horses 1 week post-treatment.
- Also, perceived improvement in performance was reported more often in horses treated with clodronate compared to the control group by the eighth week.
Insights and Conclusion
- Two of the horses in the control group were given intra-articular anti-inflammatory medications post-treatment, which might have impacted the lameness results.
- Despite the observed improvements, the research concludes that a single dose of clodronate appears to alleviate lameness in horses, without influencing detectable changes on bone turnover markers.
- Considering the long half-life of bisphosphonate drugs like clodronate, the researchers suggest further investigation into the effects of multiple doses on bone remodeling and lameness.
Cite This Article
APA
Mitchell A, Wright G, Sampson SN, Martin M, Cummings K, Gaddy D, Watts AE.
(2018).
Clodronate improves lameness in horses without changing bone turnover markers.
Equine Vet J, 51(3), 356-363.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13011 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomarkers / blood
- Clodronic Acid / therapeutic use
- Collagen Type I / blood
- Collagen Type I / metabolism
- Female
- Forelimb
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Lameness, Animal / drug therapy
- Male
- Osteocalcin / blood
- Osteocalcin / metabolism
Grant Funding
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University
- Link Endowment for Equine Research at Texas A&M University
- Linda and Dennis H. Clark '68 Chair in Equine Studies
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Vergara-Hernandez FB, Nielsen BD, Popovich JM Jr, Panek CL, Logan AA, Robison CI, Ehrhardt RA, Johnson TN, Chargo NJ, Welsh TH Jr, Bradbery AN, Leatherwood JL, Colbath AC. Clodronate disodium does not produce measurable effects on bone metabolism in an exercising, juvenile, large animal model. PLoS One 2024;19(4):e0300360.
- Vergara-Hernandez FB, Nielsen BD, Colbath AC. Is the Use of Bisphosphonates Putting Horses at Risk? An Osteoclast Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jul 3;12(13).
- Mitchell A, Watts AE, Ebetino FH, Suva LJ. Bisphosphonate use in the horse: what is good and what is not?. BMC Vet Res 2019 Jun 24;15(1):211.
- Turlo AJ, Cywinska A, Frisbie DD. Revisiting predictive biomarkers of musculoskeletal injury in thoroughbred racehorses: longitudinal study in polish population. BMC Vet Res 2019 Feb 26;15(1):66.
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