Variations in articular calcified cartilage by site and exercise in the 18-month-old equine distal metacarpal condyle.
Abstract: To interrelate articular calcified cartilage thickness, mineralisation density, tidemark count and tidemark linear accretion rate by site in the equine third metacarpal distal condyle. To determine the effects of exercise during early life on articular calcified cartilage. Methods: Six of 12 pasture-raised Thoroughbred horses were exercised from 10 days old. Calcein labels were given 19 and 8 days prior to euthanasia at 18 months old. Osteochondral specimens were cut from the distal third metacarpal condyle and imaged using confocal scanning light microscopy (CSLM) and quantitative backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy (qBSE). Articular calcified cartilage thickness and total thickness mineralisation density were measured on montaged qBSE image sets, and inter-label mineralisation density, tidemark count and linear accretion rate measured on registered CSLM-qBSE image pairs. Results: Calcified cartilage thickness, mineralisation density, tidemark count and linear accretion rate varied significantly between sites. Regions with thinner calcified cartilage had greater linear accretion rates, hence rapid chondroclastic resorption. Mineralisation density was positively correlated with linear accretion rate. Fewer multiple tidemarks were counted in regions with greater linear accretion rates. Lag time between the tidemark and cement line was estimated (180 days; in the range of 0-648 days). Exercise had little effect on measured parameters. Conclusions: The major determinant of articular calcified cartilage thickness is the rate of chondroclastic resorption, not tidemark linear accretion rate. Our evidence supports coupled, mechanosensitive regulation of chondroclastic resorption and linear accretion rate in articular calcified cartilage. Exercising pasture-reared foals causes little additional adaptation in distal third metacarpal articular calcified cartilage.
Publication Date: 2007-05-22 PubMed ID: 17517523DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2007.04.003Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research article examines the impact of exercise on the thickness, mineralisation density, tidemark count, and linear accretion rate of articular calcified cartilage in young horses, with a focus on the distal metacarpal condyle. It finds that these factors vary between different locations and that exercise has minimal effect on them.
Methodology
- The study was conducted on 12 Thoroughbred horses that were pasture-raised and 6 of which were exercised from 10 days old.
- Through introducing labels (calcein), they tracked the cartilage changes which were examined 8 and 19 days before euthanizing the horses at 18 months old.
- Osteochondral samples were taken from the distal third metacarpal condyle (the rounded part of the bone in the joint) and analysed using confocal scanning light microscopy (CSLM) and quantitative backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy (qBSE).
- From the resulting images, they determined cartilage thickness and mineralisation density, as well as features like tidemark count and tidemark linear accretion rate.
Results
- The researchers found significant differences in the calcified cartilage thickness, mineralisation density, tidemark count and linear accretion rate between different locations on the distal metacarpal condyle.
- Areas with thinner calcified cartilage had higher linear accretion rates, indicating quicker chondroclastic resorption, which is the process by which old bone is broken down.
- Mineralisation density, which refers to how many minerals are within a given volume of bone, was positively related to the linear accretion rate.
- Regions with faster linear accretion rates had fewer multiple tidemarks (the boundary between calcified and non-calcified cartilage).
- The researchers estimated that there was a lag time of 180 days between the formation of the tidemark and the cement line (the boundary between bone and calcified cartilage).
- They found that exercise did not significantly impact most of these metrics.
Conclusions
- The research suggested that the primary determinant of articular calcified cartilage thickness is the chondroclastic resorption rate, not tidemark linear accretion rate, contrary to previous beliefs.
- The study also provided evidence for a mechanosensitive regulatory relationship between chondroclastic resorption and linear accretion rate in articular calcified cartilage.
- Lastly, the research demonstrated that early exercise in pasture-reared foals does not result in significant additional adaptations in the calcified cartilage of the distal third metacarpal.
Cite This Article
APA
Doube M, Firth EC, Boyde A.
(2007).
Variations in articular calcified cartilage by site and exercise in the 18-month-old equine distal metacarpal condyle.
Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 15(11), 1283-1292.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2007.04.003 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Biophysics, Oral Growth and Development, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom. m.doube@qmul.ac.uk
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cartilage, Articular / anatomy & histology
- Cartilage, Articular / physiology
- Horses / anatomy & histology
- Horses / physiology
- Metacarpus / anatomy & histology
- Metacarpus / physiology
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
Citations
This article has been cited 13 times.- Evans LAE, Pitsillides AA. Structural clues to articular calcified cartilage function: A descriptive review of this crucial interface tissue. J Anat 2022 Oct;241(4):875-895.
- Finnilä MAJ, Das Gupta S, Turunen MJ, Hellberg I, Turkiewicz A, Lutz-Bueno V, Jonsson E, Holler M, Ali N, Hughes V, Isaksson H, Tjörnstrand J, Önnerfjord P, Guizar-Sicairos M, Saarakkala S, Englund M. Mineral Crystal Thickness in Calcified Cartilage and Subchondral Bone in Healthy and Osteoarthritic Human Knees. J Bone Miner Res 2022 Sep;37(9):1700-1710.
- Boyde A. The Bone Cartilage Interface and Osteoarthritis. Calcif Tissue Int 2021 Sep;109(3):303-328.
- Rytky SJO, Huang L, Tanska P, Tiulpin A, Panfilov E, Herzog W, Korhonen RK, Saarakkala S, Finnilä MAJ. Automated analysis of rabbit knee calcified cartilage morphology using micro-computed tomography and deep learning. J Anat 2021 Aug;239(2):251-263.
- Leitch VD, Brassill MJ, Rahman S, Butterfield NC, Ma P, Logan JG, Boyde A, Evans H, Croucher PI, Batterham RL, Williams GR, Bassett JHD. PYY is a negative regulator of bone mass and strength. Bone 2019 Oct;127:427-435.
- Mackay JW, Low SB, Houston GC, Toms AP. Ultrashort TE evaluation of the osteochondral junction in vivo: a feasibility study. Br J Radiol 2016;89(1059):20150493.
- Schultz M, Molligan J, Schon L, Zhang Z. Pathology of the calcified zone of articular cartilage in post-traumatic osteoarthritis in rat knees. PLoS One 2015;10(3):e0120949.
- Bassett JH, Boyde A, Zikmund T, Evans H, Croucher PI, Zhu X, Park JW, Cheng SY, Williams GR. Thyroid hormone receptor α mutation causes a severe and thyroxine-resistant skeletal dysplasia in female mice. Endocrinology 2014 Sep;155(9):3699-712.
- Bianco AC, Anderson G, Forrest D, Galton VA, Gereben B, Kim BW, Kopp PA, Liao XH, Obregon MJ, Peeters RP, Refetoff S, Sharlin DS, Simonides WS, Weiss RE, Williams GR. American Thyroid Association Guide to investigating thyroid hormone economy and action in rodent and cell models. Thyroid 2014 Jan;24(1):88-168.
- Choi JA, Gold GE. MR imaging of articular cartilage physiology. Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am 2011 May;19(2):249-82.
- Muir P, Peterson AL, Sample SJ, Scollay MC, Markel MD, Kalscheur VL. Exercise-induced metacarpophalangeal joint adaptation in the Thoroughbred racehorse. J Anat 2008 Dec;213(6):706-17.
- Boyde A. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Bone. Methods Mol Biol 2025;2885:621-670.
- Kurz B, Lange T, Voelker M, Hart ML, Rolauffs B. Articular Cartilage-From Basic Science Structural Imaging to Non-Invasive Clinical Quantitative Molecular Functional Information for AI Classification and Prediction. Int J Mol Sci 2023 Oct 7;24(19).
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
