Use of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) for Osteoarthritis Treatment in Horses: A Systematic Review of Clinical Data.
Abstract: The utilization of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) for treating osteoarthritis (OA) in horses has seen a notable increase in recent years. In vitro studies have consistently identified ACS as a promising therapy for OA joints, contributing to its growing popularity in OA treatment. Despite this, there is a noticeable absence of systematic reviews focused solely on the clinical data of OA patients treated with ACS, excluding the in vitro perspective. This study aims to address this gap by systematically reviewing the latest literature, concentrating solely on clinical data in in vivo studies to evaluate the efficacy of ACS in OA lesions. All clinical studies involving ACS treatments for horses with OA were included in the assessment. Surprisingly, only six trials met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. The results indicate that the majority of the considered articles support the use of ACS as a treatment for horses, albeit with a control group provided in only one study. However, the absence of a control group and the exclusion of histological evaluation diminish the validity of the majority of clinical research. While several studies suggest a beneficial effect of ACS on OA horses without significant adverse effects, this systematic review affirms that there is no definitive evidence for its effectiveness. Therefore, further investigation of the efficacy of ACS products as a treatment for OA is warranted, emphasizing the need for more controlled trials. Poorly designed and biased studies, lacking blinding or control and adopting inadequate outcome measures, may favor positive results and, thus, necessitate a more rigorous approach to validate the efficacy of ACS in OA treatment.
Publication Date: 2023-12-18 PubMed ID: 38133258PubMed Central: PMC10747612DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10120707Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research assessed the clinical effectiveness of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) in treating osteoarthritis in horses, finding that while ACS shows promise, further rigorous trials must be conducted to conclusively establish its effectiveness.
Understanding Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) and Osteoarthritis
- This research highlights the increased popularity of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) as a treatment method for osteoarthritis (OA) in horses.
- Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disease that affects horses’ joints, degrading the joint’s cartilage, and ACS is a type of therapy derived from the horse’s blood, conditioned and re-introduced back to the horse to stimulate healing.
The Need for the Study
- The study seeks to fill a gap in systematic reviews, particularly those centered on in vivo studies – studies performed in the live organism – of OA patients treated with ACS.
- Despite the promising results of in vitro – or test tube/lab dish – studies, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews of clinical data.
Methodology and Findings
- The review included all clinical studies involving ACS treatments for horses suffering from OA.
- Only six trials met the specific criteria to be included in this review.
- The majority of these studies postulated ACS as an effective treatment for horses suffering from OA. However, only one of these studies included a control group — a critical factor in scientific research as it adds validity by allowing comparisons.
Lack of Adequate Evidence
- The review argued that the absence of a control group and the exclusion of histological evaluations limit the validity of prevailing clinical research.
- While the studies suggest the potential benefit, the review concluded that there is no definitive evidence for the effectiveness of ACS in treating OA in horses.
Need for Further Investigation
- This conclusion indicates that further investigation into the efficacy of ACS treatments for OA is paramount.
- More controlled trials need to be conducted, warranting a more rigorous approach to negate possible biases.
- The study calls for improved design in future studies, including proper blinding, control, and appropriate outcome measures to legitimately validate the efficacy of ACS for OA treatment in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
Della Tommasa S, Brehm W, Farì G, Bernetti A, Imperante A.
(2023).
Use of Autologous Conditioned Serum (ACS) for Osteoarthritis Treatment in Horses: A Systematic Review of Clinical Data.
Vet Sci, 10(12), 707.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10120707 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department for Horse, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
- Department for Horse, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Biological and Enviromental Science and Technologies (Di.Ste.B.A.), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
- Department of Biological and Enviromental Science and Technologies (Di.Ste.B.A.), University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
- Field Veterinary Surgeon, 70100 Bari, Italy.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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