Regenerative medicine in equine orthopaedics: what and when?

Roger K W Smith

doi:10.12968/ukve.2020.4.1.8

Abstract

The development of regenerative medicine has opened up many new therapeutic avenues in veterinary medicine. The focus of regenerative medicine in the horse lies primarily in the musculoskeletal system, where the consequences of injury make tendons, ligaments and joints particularly desirable targets for such interventions. This article focuses on what has been learned from the use of regenerative medicine in naturally-occurring tendon, ligament and joint disease in the horse.

Highlights

Defining regenerative medicine is difficult because the name implies the ability of the treatment to regenerate damaged tissues and, while this remains the goal, there is little evidence that any of the currently available treatments achieve this
Other musculoskeletal diseases where regenerative medicine has attracted interest are in the treatment of joint disease, while work involving the use of veterinary clinical cases, mainly in small animal, have investigated its use in spinal cord trauma and cardiac disease
This article focuses on what has been learned from the use of the three most commonly used biological therapies: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), interleukin-receptor antagonist protein (IRAP) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in naturally-occurring tendon, ligament and joint disease in the horse

Summary

Introduction

Defining regenerative medicine is difficult because the name implies the ability of the treatment to regenerate damaged tissues and, while this remains the goal, there is little evidence that any of the currently available treatments achieve this. There has been a considerable amount of work in experimental animal models on the effects of regenerative medicine on tendon healing and other musculoskeletal diseases. While these models serve an important role in investigating efficacy and mechanisms of action, they do not completely replicate all the features of natural disease. This article focuses on what has been learned from the use of the three most commonly used biological therapies: platelet-rich plasma (PRP), interleukin-receptor antagonist protein (IRAP) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in naturally-occurring tendon, ligament and joint disease in the horse. IRAP has been investigated in the treatment off SDFT injuries where it showed potentially some subtle benefits (Geburek et al, 2015)

Choice of cell and choice of commercial products

Joint disease

Findings

Conclusions