Abstract
BackgroundEquine laminitis is a devastating disease that causes severe pain in afflicted horses and places a major economic burden on the horse industry. In acute laminitis, the disintegration of the dermal-epidermal junction can cause the third phalanx to detach from the hoof wall, leaving the horse unable to bear weight on the affected limbs. Horses that survive the acute phase transition into a chronic form of laminitis, which is often termed “founder”. Some evidence suggests that chronic laminar inflammation might be associated with alterations in the endocrine and immune systems. We investigated this broad hypothesis by using DIGE to assess global differences in the plasma proteome between horses with chronic laminitis and controls.ResultsWe identified 16 differentially expressed proteins; the majority of these were involved in the interrelated coagulation, clotting, and kininogen cascades. Clinical testing of functional coagulation parameters in foundered horses revealed a slight delay in prothrombin (PT) clotting time, although most other indices were within normal ranges. Upregulation of the intestinal apolipoprotein APOA-IV in horses with chronic laminitis was confirmed by western blot.ConclusionsOur results support the hypothesis that localized laminar inflammation may be linked to systemic alterations in immune regulation, particularly in the gastrointestinal system. Gastrointestinal inflammation has been implicated in the development of acute laminitis but has not previously been associated with chronic laminitis.
Highlights
Equine laminitis is a devastating disease that causes severe pain in afflicted horses and places a major economic burden on the horse industry
White blood cell counts obtained on the same day that plasma was collected for DIGE were within normal parameters and did not differ between groups (P = 0.46)
Our results suggest that a number of proteins involved in immune regulation are differentially expressed in horses with chronic equine laminitis
Summary
Equine laminitis is a devastating disease that causes severe pain in afflicted horses and places a major economic burden on the horse industry. Some evidence suggests that chronic laminar inflammation might be associated with alterations in the endocrine and immune systems We investigated this broad hypothesis by using DIGE to assess global differences in the plasma proteome between horses with chronic laminitis and controls. The pathology progresses until the weight of the horse causes dorsopalmar rotation of the third phalanx, detaching it from the hoof wall. This condition is usually not reversible and euthanasia is often the only humane option. Acute laminitis transitions to the chronic form of the disease in an estimated 75% of cases [4], leaving the majority of afflicted horses permanently lame
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