Effect of hyaluronic acid in naturally occurring and experimentally induced osteoarthritis.
Abstract: Effect of intraarticular injections of hyaluronic acid was evaluated in two groups of horses, using force plates to assess quantitatively the degree of lameness observed. In six horses, chip fractures were created surgically on the dorsomedial aspects of both radial carpal bones. After the horses were trained for 30 days, 40 mg of hyaluronic acid was injected intraarticularly into the limb showing the greater degree of lameness. Horses were worked for 2 more weeks and then were evaluated. A highly significant (P less than 0.01) increase in weight bearing on the treated limb was observed. Ten horses with clinical unilateral front limb lameness, involving a single joint, also were treated with 40 mg of hyaluronic acid. The day after the injection, the horses resumed training and were examined 2 weeks later. At that time, the horses were free from observable lameness, and this observation was corroborated by force plate data. According to their trainers, the horses' performance improved markedly after the injection and remained improved. Seemingly hyaluronic acid was beneficial when injected into the arthritic joints of these two groups of horses.
Publication Date: 1980-04-01 PubMed ID: 7406275
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
Summary
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This study examines the effects of hyaluronic acid injections in horses suffering from osteoarthritis or artificially created chip fractures, with results showing significant improvement in conditions after injection.
Research Design and Participants
- The research was carried out on two groups of horses – one naturally suffering from osteoarthritis, and the other with surgically created chip fractures.
- The first group consisted of 6 horses, on which chip fractures were created on the dorsomedial aspects of both radial carpal bones. These horses were then trained for 30 days before receiving intraarticular injections of 40 mg of hyaluronic acid in their more lame limbs.
- The second group had 10 horses, all suffering from clinical unilateral front limb lameness that involved a single joint. These horses were also administered 40 mg of hyaluronic acid.
Procedure and Monitoring
- After the injections, the horses were allowed to train for another 2 weeks, post which they were evaluated.
- For objective measurement, force plate data was used to assess the degree of lameness observed in the horses.
- Observations were corroborated by the force plate data as well as remarks from the horses’ trainers.
Results and Conclusions
- In the first group, a highly significant increase in weight bearing on the treated limb was observed.
- In the second group, all the horses were free from observable lameness 2 weeks post-injection, and this was supported by force plate data. The performance of these horses improved significantly according to their trainers, and the improvement remained.
- The results indicate that hyaluronic acid, when injected into the arthritic joints, was beneficial, leading to improved lameness conditions in both groups of horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Auer JA, Fackelman GE, Gingerich DA, Fetter AW.
(1980).
Effect of hyaluronic acid in naturally occurring and experimentally induced osteoarthritis.
Am J Vet Res, 41(4), 568-574.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Forelimb
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horses
- Hyaluronic Acid / administration & dosage
- Hyaluronic Acid / therapeutic use
- Injections, Intra-Articular
- Male
- Osteoarthritis / drug therapy
- Osteoarthritis / etiology
- Osteoarthritis / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Reihs E, Fischer A, Gerner I, Windhager R, Toegel S, Zaucke F, Rothbauer M, Jenner F. Beyond symptomatic alignment: evaluating the integration of causal mechanisms in matching animal models with human pathotypes in osteoarthritis research. Arthritis Res Ther 2025 May 17;27(1):109.
- Jeon R, Rykaczewski C, Williams T, Harrington W, Kinder JE, Trotter M. Monitoring Pig Structural Soundness and Body Weight in Pork Production Systems Using Computer Vision Approaches. Animals (Basel) 2025 Feb 21;15(5).
- He H, Banks SA, Biedrzycki AH. Anatomical variations of the equine femur and tibia using statistical shape modeling. PLoS One 2023;18(6):e0287381.
- Gupta RC, Lall R, Srivastava A, Sinha A. Hyaluronic Acid: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Trajectory. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:192.
- Fallacara A, Baldini E, Manfredini S, Vertuani S. Hyaluronic Acid in the Third Millennium. Polymers (Basel) 2018 Jun 25;10(7).
- Broeckx SY, Martens AM, Bertone AL, Van Brantegem L, Duchateau L, Van Hecke L, Dumoulin M, Oosterlinck M, Chiers K, Hussein H, Pille F, Spaas JH. The use of equine chondrogenic-induced mesenchymal stem cells as a treatment for osteoarthritis: A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study. Equine Vet J 2019 Nov;51(6):787-794.
- Niemelä TM, Tulamo RM, Hielm-Björkman AK. A randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study on intra-articular hyaluronan treatment in equine lameness originating from the metacarpophalangeal joint. BMC Vet Res 2016 Mar 23;12:60.
- Franklin SP, Cook JL. Prospective trial of autologous conditioned plasma versus hyaluronan plus corticosteroid for elbow osteoarthritis in dogs. Can Vet J 2013 Sep;54(9):881-4.
- McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD, Kawcak CE. The horse as a model of naturally occurring osteoarthritis. Bone Joint Res 2012 Nov;1(11):297-309.
- Gregory MH, Capito N, Kuroki K, Stoker AM, Cook JL, Sherman SL. A review of translational animal models for knee osteoarthritis. Arthritis 2012;2012:764621.
- Boettger MK, Kümmel D, Harrison A, Schaible HG. Evaluation of long-term antinociceptive properties of stabilized hyaluronic acid preparation (NASHA) in an animal model of repetitive joint pain. Arthritis Res Ther 2011 Jul 7;13(4):R110.
- Smith MM, Ghosh P. The synthesis of hyaluronic acid by human synovial fibroblasts is influenced by the nature of the hyaluronate in the extracellular environment. Rheumatol Int 1987;7(3):113-22.
- Brennan JJ, Aherne FX, Nakano T. Effects of glycosaminoglycan polysulfate treatment on soundness, hyaluronic acid content of synovial fluid and proteoglycan aggregate in articular cartilage of lame boars. Can J Vet Res 1987 Jul;51(3):394-8.
- Trotter GW, Yovich JV, McIlwraith CW, Norrdin RW. Effects of intramuscular polysulfated glycosaminoglycan on chemical and physical defects in equine articular cartilage. Can J Vet Res 1989 Apr;53(2):224-30.
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