Effects of intra-articular botulinum toxin type A in an equine model of acute synovitis: a pilot study.
Abstract: To test the hypothesis that botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) can attenuate lameness associated with acute synovitis in an equine model. Methods: Four horses 2-6 yrs of age with clinically normal carpi were studied for 15 days. Kinematic gait analysis and clinical measures of lameness were conducted before and after experimental interventions. Horses were randomly assigned to either placebo (saline) or treatment (BoNT-A) groups. On day 0 of the intervention, 50 units of BoNT-A or an equivalent volume of saline (0.09%) was given into the middle carpal joints. On day 14, acute synovitis was induced with intra-articular injection of recombinant equine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) 100 ng. Synovial fluid, clinical evaluation of lameness, and kinematic gait analysis were evaluated on day 15. Results: Synovitis was observed on histology and cytology in all horses after IL-1 beta, indicating acute suppurative inflammation. In the BoNT-A group, one horse developed lameness, whereas the other demonstrated no change in baseline gait evaluation. No adverse effects were observed in joints injected with BoNT-A or with saline alone. Conclusions: Our findings support the idea that BoNT-A can attenuate lameness in an equine model of acute synovitis. Our findings further suggest that BoNT-A might be a potential new treatment for painful arthritis; this warrants further study.
Publication Date: 2007-07-05 PubMed ID: 17609635DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e3181157718Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research demonstrates that the use of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) could reduce lameness caused by acute synovitis in horses. The study suggests that BoNT-A might also be a potential treatment for painful arthritis in horses.
Methods and Procedures of the Study
- The research involved four horses aged between 2-6 years with clinically normal carpi (part of the horse’s leg) that were studied over 15 days.
- The study involved kinematic gait analysis (the study of body motion) and clinical measures of lameness before and after the intervention.
- The horses were randomly assigned to either placebo group (which received saline) or treatment group (which received BoNT-A).
- On the first day of intervention, either 50 units of BoNT-A or an equivalent volume of saline (0.09%) was administered into the middle carpal joints of the horses.
- On the 14th day, acute synovitis (a painful condition caused by the inflammation of the synovial membrane) was artificially induced with the intra-articular injection of recombinant equine interleukin-1 beta (a protein involved in inflammatory response). This protein helps to simulate the effects of synovitis in the horses.
Results and Findings
- After the injection of the equine interleukin-1 beta, all horses exhibited symptoms of synovitis as observed on histology (the study of the microscopic structure of tissue) and cytology (the study of individual cells).
- In the BoNT-A group, one horse developed lameness, but the other didn’t show any change in baseline gait evaluation.
- No adverse effects were observed in the joints injected with either BoNT-A or saline only. This implies that these injections did not negatively impact the overall health of the horses.
Conclusion
- The findings support the hypothesis that BoNT-A can reduce lameness in horses suffering from acute synovitis. This major finding indicates the potential effectiveness of BoNT-A for treatment.
- Given that BoNT-A might also be a potential new treatment for painful arthritis in horses, the study also points to the need for further research in this direction.
Cite This Article
APA
DePuy T, Howard R, Keegan K, Wilson D, Kramer J, Cook JL, Childers MK.
(2007).
Effects of intra-articular botulinum toxin type A in an equine model of acute synovitis: a pilot study.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 86(10), 777-783.
https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0b013e3181157718 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- From the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Acute Disease
- Animals
- Botulinum Toxins, Type A / administration & dosage
- Gait / drug effects
- Horses
- Injections, Intra-Articular
- Neuromuscular Agents / administration & dosage
- Osteoarthritis / drug therapy
- Osteoarthritis / pathology
- Pilot Projects
- Random Allocation
- Synovial Fluid / metabolism
- Synovitis / drug therapy
- Synovitis / pathology
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Turin L, Piccione MM, Crosa F, Dall'Ara P, Filipe J, Zarucco L. Therapeutic Applications of Botulinum Neurotoxins in Veterinary Medicine. Vet Sci 2023 Jul 13;10(7).
- Colbath AC, Dow SW, Hopkins LS, Phillips JN, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR. Induction of Synovitis Using Interleukin-1 Beta: Are There Differences in the Response of Middle Carpal Joint Compared to the Tibiotarsal Joint?. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:208.
- Gil C, Abdoul H, Campagna R, Guerini H, Ieong E, Chagny F, Bedin C, Roren A, Lefèvre-Colau MM, Poiraudeau S, Feydy A, Rannou F, Nguyen C. Intra-articular botulinum toxin A for base-of-thumb osteoarthritis: protocol for a randomised trial (RHIBOT). BMJ Open 2018 Jun 30;8(6):e022337.
- Heikkilä HM, Jokinen TS, Syrjä P, Junnila J, Hielm-Björkman A, Laitinen-Vapaavuori O. Assessing adverse effects of intra-articular botulinum toxin A in healthy Beagle dogs: A placebo-controlled, blinded, randomized trial. PLoS One 2018;13(1):e0191043.
- Heikkilä HM, Hielm-Björkman AK, Innes JF, Laitinen-Vapaavuori OM. The effect of intra-articular botulinum toxin A on substance P, prostaglandin E(2), and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the canine osteoarthritic joint. BMC Vet Res 2017 Mar 21;13(1):74.
- Pellett S, Yaksh TL, Ramachandran R. Current status and future directions of botulinum neurotoxins for targeting pain processing. Toxins (Basel) 2015 Nov 4;7(11):4519-63.
- Yoo KY, Lee HS, Cho YK, Lim YS, Kim YS, Koo JH, Yoon SJ, Lee JH, Jang KH, Song SH. Anti-inflammatory effects of botulinum toxin type a in a complete Freund's adjuvant-induced arthritic knee joint of hind leg on rat model. Neurotox Res 2014 Jul;26(1):32-9.
- Falemban B, Marzok M, Dhafiri MA, Saleh SM, Al-Wail AA, Almubarak AI, Fayez M, Salem M, Hussen J. Camels' antibody response to botulinum toxin-A (Botox). Open Vet J 2025 Nov;15(11):5505-5512.
- Watts AE, Nixon AJ, Reesink HL, Cheetham J, Fubini SL, Looney AL. Continuous peripheral neural blockade to alleviate signs of experimentally induced severe forelimb pain in horses. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2011 Apr 15;238(8):1032-9.
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