Osteoarthritis : the inflammatory reaction and medical treatment
Osteoarthritis is a common and important problem in performance horses and symptoms include lameness accompanied with heat, pain and joint swelling. Several different diagnostic methods exist. However, detection of early stages of inflammation is problematic; hence assays for biochemical markers,...
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| Formato: | L3 |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés sueco |
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SLU/Dept. of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health (until 231231)
2007
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| Materias: |
| Sumario: | Osteoarthritis is a common and important problem in performance horses and
symptoms include lameness accompanied with heat, pain and joint swelling.
Several different diagnostic methods exist. However, detection of early stages of
inflammation is problematic; hence assays for biochemical markers, such as the
cytokines, are considered a possible way to monitor inflammation. Many of the
cytokines are mediators released in the process of inflammation and one important
example is tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα).
In this pilot study of five horses, an ELISA was used to measure TNFα in synovial
fluid from fetlock joints. This was performed in order to evaluate if any
inflammatory reaction against intra-articularly injected hyaluronan X (hyaluronic
acid) was present. Hyaluronan X is a new product with a higher molecular weight
compared to hyaluronic suspensions commonly used in equine practice for the
treatment of osteoarthritis.
All the horses showed clinical signs of joint inflammation at some point.
However, only one of the five horses presented a detectable level of TNFα in
synovial fluid from the fetlock joint. Unfortunately, the hyaluronan X had been
contaminated with ethanol during the manufacture and hence no conclusions
about the side effects of this new hyaluronic suspension could be drawn. In future
studies, a revised study design with repeated sampling of synovial fluid from
experimental joints as well as control joints must be developed. In addition, the
manufacturing of the hyaluronic suspension must be improved. |
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