Evaluation of serum concentrations of biomarkers of skeletal metabolism and results of radiography as indicators of severity of osteochondrosis in foals.
Abstract: To determine whether serum concentrations of biomarkers of skeletal metabolism can, in conjunction with radiographic evaluation, indicate severity of osteochondrosis in developing horses. Methods: 43 Dutch Warmblood foals with varying severity of osteochondrosis. Methods: 24 foals were monitored for 5 months and 19 foals were monitored for 11 months. Monthly radiographs of femoropatellar-femorotibial and tibio-tarsal joints were graded for osteochondral abnormalities. Serial blood samples were assayed for 8 cartilage and bone biomarkers. At the end of the monitoring period, foals were examined for macroscopic osteochondrosis lesions. Results: Temporal relationships were evident between certain serum biomarkers and osteochondrosis severity in foals during their first year. Biomarkers of collagen degradation (collagenase-generated neoepitopes of type-II collagen fragments, type-I and -II collagen fragments [COL2-3/4C(short)], and cross-linked telopeptide fragments of type-I collagen) and bone mineralization (osteocalcin) were positive indicators of osteochondrosis severity at 5 months of age. In foals with lesions at 11 months of age, osteochondrosis severity correlated negatively with COL2-3/4C(short) and osteocalcin and positively with C-propeptide of type-II procollagen (CPII), a collagen synthesis marker. Radiographic grading of osteochondrosis lesions significantly correlated with macroscopic osteochondrosis severity score at both ages and was strongest when combined with osteocalcin at 5 months and CPII at 11 months. Conclusions: The ability of serum biomarkers to indicate osteochondrosis severity appears to depend on stage of disease and is strengthened with radiography. In older foals with more permanent lesions, osteochondrosis severity is significantly related to biomarker concentrations of decreased bone formation and increased cartilage synthesis.
Publication Date: 2004-02-21 PubMed ID: 14974569DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.143Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research investigates how the concentration of specific biomarkers in a horse’s blood, alongside radiographic evaluation, can reveal the severity of osteochondrosis, a joint condition in foals. The study indicates that the presence and levels of these biomarkers can help determine the stage of the disease and its severity.
Methods
- The study involved 43 Dutch Warmblood foals suffering from varying degrees of osteochondrosis.
- Two groups were observed where 24 foals were monitored for five months, and 19 foals were checked for 11 months.
- Monthly radiographs of specific joint regions in the foals (femoropatellar-femorotibial and tibio-tarsal joints) were assessed for osteochondral abnormalities.
- Blood samples were collected regularly and examined for eight cartilage and bone biomarkers.
- At the end of the monitoring period, the foals were inspected for visible osteochondrosis lesions on body surfaces.
Results
- The results revealed clear temporal connections between certain serum biomarkers and the severity of osteochondrosis during the foals’ first year.
- Biomarkers of collagen degradation, such as collagenase-generated neoepitopes of type-II collagen fragments, type-I and -II collagen fragments [COL2-3/4C(short)], and cross-linked telopeptide fragments of type-I collagen, as well as biomarkers of bone mineralization (osteocalcin) were identified as positive indicators of the severity of osteochondrosis when the foals were 5 months old.
- In foals with osteochondrosis lesions at 11 months of age, the severity of the disease came out negatively correlated with COL2-3/4C(short) and osteocalcin, but positively correlated with CPII, a marker indicating collagen synthesis.
- Radiographic grading of osteochondrosis lesions significantly synchronised with macroscopic osteochondrosis severity score at both ages. The correlation was more robust when combined with osteocalcin at 5 months and CPII at 11 months.
Conclusions
- Thus, the ability of serum biomarkers to indicate the severity of osteochondrosis appears to be contingent upon the stage of the disease and is reinforced through radiographic examinations.
- In older foals with more persistent lesions, the severity of osteochondrosis is significantly associated with biomarker concentrations of decreased bone formation and increased cartilage synthesis.
Cite This Article
APA
Billinghurst RC, Brama PA, van Weeren PR, Knowlton MS, McIlwraith CW.
(2004).
Evaluation of serum concentrations of biomarkers of skeletal metabolism and results of radiography as indicators of severity of osteochondrosis in foals.
Am J Vet Res, 65(2), 143-150.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.2004.65.143 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomarkers / blood
- Collagen / metabolism
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horses
- Longitudinal Studies
- Osteochondritis / blood
- Osteochondritis / diagnostic imaging
- Osteochondritis / veterinary
- Radiography
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Martinez-Saez L, Marín-García PJ, Llobat ML. Osteochondrosis in horses: An overview of genetic and other factors. Equine Vet J 2026 Jan;58(1):6-19.
- Alpoim-Moreira J, Fernandes C, Rebordão MR, Costa AL, Bliebernicht M, Nunes T, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A, Skarzynski DJ, Ferreira-Dias G. Collagen Type III as a Possible Blood Biomarker of Fibrosis in Equine Endometrium. Animals (Basel) 2022 Jul 21;12(14).
- Fradinho MJ, Mateus L, Bernardes N, Bessa RJB, Caldeira RM, Ferreira-Dias G. Growth patterns, metabolic indicators and osteoarticular status in the Lusitano horse: A longitudinal study. PLoS One 2019;14(7):e0219900.
- Bourebaba L, Röcken M, Marycz K. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in Horses - Molecular Background of its Pathogenesis and Perspectives for Progenitor Stem Cell Therapy. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2019 Jun;15(3):374-390.
- Anderson JR, Phelan MM, Clegg PD, Peffers MJ, Rubio-Martinez LM. Synovial Fluid Metabolites Differentiate between Septic and Nonseptic Joint Pathologies. J Proteome Res 2018 Aug 3;17(8):2735-2743.
- Verwilghen DR, Martens A, Busschers E, Franck T, Deberg M, Henrotin Y, Vanderheyden L, Serteyn D. Coll2-1, Coll2-1NO2 and myeloperoxidase concentrations in the synovial fluid of equine tarsocrural joints affected with osteochondrosis. Vet Res Commun 2011 Oct;35(7):401-8.
- Verwilghen DR, Vanderheyden L, Franck T, Busoni V, Enzerink E, Gangl M, Lejeune JP, van Galen G, Grulke S, Serteyn D. Variations of plasmatic concentrations of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I in post-pubescent horses affected with developmental osteochondral lesions. Vet Res Commun 2009 Oct;33(7):701-9.
- Lejeune JP, Serteyn D, Gangl M, Schneider N, Deby-Dupont G, Deberg M, Henrotin Y. Plasma concentrations of a type II collagen-derived peptide and its nitrated form in growing Ardenner sound horses and in horses suffering from juvenile digital degenerative osteoarthropathy. Vet Res Commun 2007 Jul;31(5):591-601.
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