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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Surg / Effects of intra-articular injection of an acellular equine ...
Veterinary surgery : VS2022; 52(1); 62-68; doi: 10.1111/vsu.13918

Effects of intra-articular injection of an acellular equine liquid amniotic allograft in healthy equine joints.

Abstract: Evaluate effects of acellular equine liquid amnion allograft (ELAA) injected into healthy equine joints. Methods: Randomized, blinded, controlled experiment. Methods: Eight healthy adult horses. Methods: One intercarpal joint (ICJ) of each horse was randomly assigned to be injected with 1.5 ml of ELAA (treatment) while the contralateral ICJ was injected with 1.5 ml of 0.9% NaCl (control). Subjective lameness evaluation, force plate analysis, and synovial fluid analysis, including interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) analysis, were performed before (day 0) and at days 1, 3, 5, and 10. Synovial fluid analysis was also performed on days 20 and 30. Results: No difference in subjective lameness (P = .75) and no decrease in peak vertical force or vertical impulse were seen in any limb on any day. Total nucleated cell count (TNCC) was increased in treatment joints on days 1 (P = .0007; T: 6039 cells/μl, C: 240 cells/μl) and 3 (P < .0001; T: 1119 cells/μl, C: 240 cells/μl). Log-10 transformed values for IL-1ra were higher in treated joints on days 1 (P = .0005; T: 3553.7 pg/ml, C: 1890.1 pg/ml) and 3 (P = .01; T: 2283.2 pg/ml, C: 1250.7 pg/ml). Conclusions: Injection of ELAA into the ICJ caused an increase in synovial fluid TNCC in comparison with saline control but no lameness was observed. There was increased IL-1ra on days 1 and 3 after ELAA injection. Conclusions: Intra-articular injection of ELAA into healthy equine joints results in no significant safety concerns. The observed increase in IL-1ra may provide beneficial effects in inflamed joints.
© 2022 American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
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Publication Date: 2022-11-21 PubMed ID: 36408850DOI: 10.1111/vsu.13918Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Veterinary
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article focusses on assessing the effects of injecting an acellular equine liquid amniotic allograft into healthy equine joints. It concludes that this process leads to an increase in synovial fluid TNCC, but does not cause lameness. The resulting increase in IL-1ra may have potential benefits for inflamed joints.

Overview of Experiment

  • The experiment was a randomized, blinded, controlled trial involving eight healthy adult horses.
  • Within each horse, one intercarpal joint was randomly selected to receive an injection of 1.5 ml ELAA (treatment), and the opposite joint was injected with 1.5 ml 0.9% NaCl (control).
  • Components of analysis included subjective lameness evaluation, force plate analysis, and synovial fluid analysis. These were conducted before the commencement of treatment (day 0), and then on days 1, 3, 5, and 10. Additional synovial fluid analyses were performed on days 20 and 30.

Key Findings

  • The study found no significant difference in subjective lameness between the treated and control joints.
  • No decrease in peak vertical force or vertical impulse was observed in any of the limbs on any day.
  • The synovial fluid analysis showed an increased total nucleated cell count (TNCC) in the treatment joints on days 1 and 3.
  • There were higher levels of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), an anti-inflammatory protein, in the treated joints on days 1 and 3

Conclusion and Potential Implications

  • While the injection of ELAA into the intercarpal joint resulted in an increase in synovial fluid TNCC compared to the saline control, no evident lameness was observed in the horses.
  • An increase in IL-1ra was noticed on days 1 and 3 following ELAA injection. This suggests the potential of ELAA injection in providing possible beneficial effects on inflamed joints due to its ability to increase the concentration of anti-inflammatory proteins.
  • Through this experiment, it was established that intra-articular injection of ELAA into healthy equine joints does not pose significant safety concerns, making it a viable option for future studies and potential therapeutic use.

Cite This Article

APA
Wolkowski DD, McCarthy RD, Schoonover MJ, Taylor JD, Eastman TG. (2022). Effects of intra-articular injection of an acellular equine liquid amniotic allograft in healthy equine joints. Vet Surg, 52(1), 62-68. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13918

Publication

Veterinary surgery : VS
ISSN: 1532-950X
NlmUniqueID: 8113214
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 52
Issue: 1
Pages: 62-68

Researcher Affiliations

Wolkowski, Danica D
  • Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic, Salinas, California, USA.
McCarthy, Robert D
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
Schoonover, Mike J
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
Taylor, Jared D
  • Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
Eastman, Timothy G
  • Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinic, Salinas, California, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein / pharmacology
  • Amnion
  • Injections, Intra-Articular / veterinary
  • Synovial Fluid
  • Allografts
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horse Diseases / etiology
  • Joints

Grant Funding

  • Equus Innovations

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Bertone AL, Reinemeyer C, Tsaprailis G, Ragland D, Leise B. Cryopreserved equine umbilical cord tissue allograft characterization and biocompatibility in vivo in musculoskeletal tissues: a controlled study. BMC Med 2025 Jul 23;23(1):439.
    doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-04231-7pubmed: 40702469google scholar: lookup
  2. Esselman AM, Johnson SA, Hague BA, Frisbie DD. Severity, distribution and postoperative therapy are not predictors of return to work in western performance horses with stifle chondromalacia. Vet Surg 2025 Jul;54(5):831-839.
    doi: 10.1111/vsu.14196pubmed: 40059430google scholar: lookup
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