Efficacy of intravenous administration of hyaluronan, sodium chondroitin sulfate, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine for prevention or treatment of osteoarthritis in horses.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of IV administration of a product containing hyaluronan, sodium chondroitin sulfate, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine for prevention or treatment of osteoarthritis in horses. ANIMALS 32 healthy 2- to 5-year-old horses. PROCEDURES The study involved 2 portions. To evaluate prophylactic efficacy of the test product, horses received 5 mL of the product (n = 8) or saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (8; placebo) IV every fifth day, starting on day 0 (when osteoarthritis was induced in the middle carpal joint of 1 forelimb) and ending on day 70. To evaluate treatment efficacy, horses received either the product or placebo (n = 8/treatment) on days 16, 23, 30, 37, and 44 after osteoarthritis induction. Clinical, diagnostic imaging, synovial fluid, gross anatomic, and histologic evaluations and other tests were performed. Results of each study portion were compared between treatment groups. RESULTS Limb flexion and radiographic findings were significantly worse for horses that received the test product in the prophylactic efficacy portion than for placebo-treated horses or product-treated horses in the treatment efficacy portion. In the prophylactic efficacy portion, significantly less articular cartilage erosion was identified in product-treated versus placebo-treated horses. In the treatment efficacy portion, joints of product-treated horses had a greater degree of bone edema identified via MRI than did joints of placebo-treated horses but fewer microscopic articular cartilage abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that caution should be used when administering the evaluated product IV to horses, particularly when administering it prophylactically, as it may have no benefit or may even cause harm.
Publication Date: 2016-09-27 PubMed ID: 27668577DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.77.10.1064Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This research analyzes the effectiveness of a product containing hyaluronan, sodium chondroitin sulfate, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, administered intravenously, in the prevention or treatment of osteoarthritis in horses, concluding that its use, particularly as a preventative measure, may not yield positive outcomes and could potentially be detrimental.
Research Methodology
The study consisted of two main parts, prevention and treatment, and involved 32 healthy horses between 2 to 5 years:
- In the preventive phase, horses were given 5mL of the test product or a saline solution as a placebo, intravenously every fifth day starting from day zero, when osteoarthritis was induced in the middle carpal joint of a forelimb, and ending on day 70.
- In the treatment phase, the horses received the product or placebo at specified intervals after the osteoarthritis had been induced.
Methods used in the evaluation process included clinical, diagnostic imaging, synovial fluid, gross anatomic, histologic evaluations, and other testing means with results compared across the treatment groups.
Research Findings
The results showed that horses received the test product during the preventive stage displayed significantly worse signs of limb flexion and radiographic findings than those treated with placebo or during the treatment phase:
- For the prevention phase, the use of the product resulted in less articular cartilage erosion in comparison to the placebo-treated horses.
- During the treatment phase, MRI scans revealed a greater degree of bone edema in the joints of product-treated horses compared to placebo-treated ones but fewer microscopic articular cartilage abnormalities were observed.
Conclusions and Implications
The research concluded that the intravenous administration of the tested product to horses, particularly as a preventive measure, may have no benefits or could potentially prove harmful. This implies the need for continued research and more efficient treatments for osteoarthritis in horses, increasing awareness of the potential negatives of certain treatment methods, and incorporating the findings into an informed approach to the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Frisbie DD, McIlwraith CW, Kawcak CE, Werpy NM.
(2016).
Efficacy of intravenous administration of hyaluronan, sodium chondroitin sulfate, and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine for prevention or treatment of osteoarthritis in horses.
Am J Vet Res, 77(10), 1064-1070.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.77.10.1064 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Chondroitin Sulfates / administration & dosage
- Chondroitin Sulfates / therapeutic use
- Drug Therapy, Combination
- Female
- Glucosamine / administration & dosage
- Glucosamine / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Hyaluronic Acid / administration & dosage
- Hyaluronic Acid / therapeutic use
- Injections, Intravenous / veterinary
- Lameness, Animal / diagnostic imaging
- Lameness, Animal / drug therapy
- Male
- Osteoarthritis / drug therapy
- Osteoarthritis / veterinary
- Synovial Fluid / metabolism
- Viscosupplements / administration & dosage
- Viscosupplements / therapeutic use
Citations
This article has been cited 7 times.- Seabaugh KA, Barrett MF, Rao S, McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD. Examining the Effects of the Oral Supplement Biota orientalis in the Osteochondral Fragment-Exercise Model of Osteoarthritis in the Horse. Front Vet Sci 2022;9:858391.
- Gupta RC, Lall R, Srivastava A, Sinha A. Hyaluronic Acid: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Trajectory. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:192.
- Song B. Hyaluronic Acid: A Review of Clinical Applications in Human and Veterinary Dentistry. J Vet Dent 2026 Jan;43(1):63-73.
- Crosbie M, Vanderboom K, Souccar-Young J, Pearson W. Integrating Cartilage Explant Culture with Simulated Digestion and Hepatic Biotransformation Refines In Vitro Screening of Joint Care Nutraceuticals. Methods Protoc 2025 Aug 6;8(4).
- Riley JW, Chance LM, Barshick MR, Johnson SE. Administration of sodium hyaluronate to adult horses prior to and immediately after exercise does not alter the range of motion in either the tarsus or metacarpophalangeal joints. Transl Anim Sci 2024;8:txae153.
- O'Brien TJ, Hollinshead F, Goodrich LR. Extracellular vesicles in the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis: can horses help us translate this therapy to humans?. Extracell Vesicles Circ Nucl Acids 2023 Jun;4(2):151-169.
- Sprott H, Fleck C. Hyaluronic Acid in Rheumatology. Pharmaceutics 2023 Aug 30;15(9).
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