Abstract
SummaryBackgroundThere is a need to improve therapies for osteoarthritis in horses.ObjectivesTo assess the efficacy of equine allogeneic chondrogenic‐induced mesenchymal stem cells combined with equine allogeneic plasma as a novel therapy for osteoarthritis in horses.Study designRandomised, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled experiment.MethodsIn 12 healthy horses, osteoarthritis was induced in the metacarpophalangeal joint using an osteochondral fragment‐groove model. Five weeks after surgery, horses were randomly assigned to either an intra‐articular injection with chondrogenic‐induced mesenchymal stem cells + equine allogeneic plasma (= intervention) or with 0.9% saline solution (= control). From surgery until the study end, horses underwent a weekly joint and lameness assessment. Synovial fluid was collected for cytology and biomarker analysis before surgery and at Weeks 5, 5 + 1d, 7, 9 and 11. At Week 11, horses were subjected to euthanasia, and the metacarpophalangeal joints were evaluated macroscopically and histologically.ResultsNo serious adverse events or suspected adverse drug reactions occurred during the study. A significant improvement in visual and objective lameness was seen with the intervention compared with the control. Synovial fluid displayed a significantly higher viscosity and a significantly lower glycosaminoglycan concentration in the intervention group. Other biomarkers or cytology parameters were not significantly different between the treatment groups. Significantly less wear lines and synovial hyperaemia were present in the intervention group. The amount of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, collagen type II and glycosaminoglycans were significantly higher in the articular cartilage of the intervention group.Main limitationsThis study assessed the short‐term effect of the intervention on a limited number of horses, using an osteoarthritis model. This study also included multiple statistical tests, increasing the risk of type 1 error.ConclusionsEquine allogeneic chondrogenic‐induced mesenchymal stem cells combined with equine allogeneic plasma may be a promising treatment for osteoarthritis in horses. The Summary is available in Spanish – see Supporting Information
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) in horses often results in an early retirement from an athletic career or pleasure riding [1,2,3]
The application of chondrogenic-induced mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) combined with plasma in horses with OA has been shown to have a clinical advantage compared with using plasma alone or native MSCs combined with plasma [7,8]
After application of the OA model, horses clinically improved when they were treated with chondrogenic-induced MSCs combined with equine allogeneic plasma (= intervention) compared with when they were treated with saline (= control)
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) in horses often results in an early retirement from an athletic career or pleasure riding [1,2,3]. Intra-articular use of native mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has shown promising, though modest, results for enhancing cartilage repair [4,5,6,7,8]. The application of chondrogenic-induced MSCs combined with plasma in horses with OA has been shown to have a clinical advantage compared with using plasma alone or native MSCs combined with plasma [7,8]. In those two studies, allogeneic MSCs (from another animal than the case, but from the same species) instead of autologous MSCs were used, as allogeneic MSCs allow ‘off-the-shelf’ therapy. Randomised, double-blinded, placebocontrolled studies to objectively investigate efficacy of allogeneic MSCs are currently lacking
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