In vivo effects of intra-articular injection of gelatin hydrogen microspheres containing basic fibroblast growth factor on experimentally induced defects in third metacarpal bones of horses.

The research evaluated the effectiveness of injecting gelatin hydrogel microspheres laced with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to ease defects in a horse’s third metacarpal bones. The findings established that this method enhances bone regeneration and healing, which may apply for healing fractures in horses.

Methodology

• In this research, six healthy adult Thoroughbred horses were used for the study.
• Each of the horses was anesthetized, and a hole of 4.5mm diameter was drilled into the medial condyle of their third metacarpal bones on both sides.
• The right metacarpophalangeal joint of each horse was injected with a solution of gelatin hydrogel microspheres that contained bFGF. The measured quantity was one milliliter containing 100 micrograms of the solution.
• The left metacarpophalangeal joint was injected with a one milliliter of saline, serving as the control joint in the experiment.
• Radiographies were conducted 1 day, and 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after surgery in order to assess the refilling of the bone defect.
• Multi-detector row computed tomography (MDRCT) was performed 16 weeks after surgery to evaluate the degree of refilling at the bone defect site.

Results

• The study revealed that healing of bone defects in bFGF joints took place between 4 to 12 weeks post-surgery.
• The control joints, on the other hand, exhibited healing between 8 to 16 weeks after the surgical procedure.
• On applying multidetector-row computed tomography (MDRCT), the bFGF joints showed a higher degree of healing compared with the control joints.
• Findings from the MDRCT indicated that the average score for bFGF joints was significantly higher than that for the control joints.

Conclusions

• The study concluded that treating horses with gelatin hydrogel microspheres that contained bFGF improved bone regeneration and healing of experimentally induced defects.
• It inferred that this treatment strategy may be potentially useful for treating horses with fractures.