The research article discusses the feasibility of using horse models to study osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint, including comparability of biomarkers and signaling pathways that are used to diagnose and treat the condition in humans.

Understanding the Research

• Osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is seen in different species, including humans and horses. The research explores the potential of using horses as models for understanding the disease and evaluating potential therapies.
• Animal models are valuable as tissue samples are difficult to collect from humans, with clinical symptoms of TMJ OA showing up late in the disease’s lifecycle.
• The horse model for TMJ OA holds distinct advantages due to its slow, age-related progression. Horse models also allow for numerous clinical examinations, imaging techniques, and easy collection of tissue and synovial fluid samples.
• Equine and human TMJ structures share many morphological and functional similarities, underpinning the practical application of the equine model in advancing our knowledge of disease progression and possible treatment responses.

Moving Forward with Research

• The research calls for additional explorations, as there remains work to be done to compare the utility of human TMJ OA biomarkers in the equine model.
• Key TMJ OA biomarkers, such as IL-1, IL-6, TGF-β, TNF-α, and PGE, had been examined recently within the horse model, bringing some insights.
• However, many biomarkers related to cartilage degradation, chondrocyte hypertrophy, angiogenesis, and TMJ overload, and most of the primary signaling pathways are yet to be investigated within this model.
• Therefore, it is recommended to concentrate future investigations on horse samples, considering both the mediators of inflammation such as interleukins and the signaling pathways responsible for their synthesis and secretion.