Randomized controlled trial demonstrates the benefit of RGTA® based matrix therapy to treat tendinopathies in racing horses

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 9;13(3):e0191796. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191796. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

A randomized controlled trial was performed on racing horses, to evaluate the efficacy of a new class of therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine-ReGeneraTing Agents® (RGTA®), to treat tendinopathies. Preliminary uncontrolled studies on tendon healing in racing horses with RGTA® (OTR4131)-Equitend® showed encouraging results, justifying performing a randomized, controlled, multicenter study with a two-year racing performance follow up. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Equitend® versus placebo on acute superficial digital flexor tendonitis in racing French Standardbred Trotters (ST). Twenty-two ST were randomly and blindly assigned to receive with a ratio of 2 to 1, a single Equitend® (n = 14) or placebo (n = 8) intralesional injection under ultrasonographic guidance. Horses were evaluated over 4 months, by clinical and ultrasonographic evaluations (day 0, months 1, 2, 4), and their racing performances followed up over the 2 years after treatment. During the first month of treatment, a significant decrease in the cross-sectional area (CSA) was found in the Equitend® group (p = 0.04). After 4 months, the number of Equitend® treated horses with an improved CSA was significantly higher than the placebo-treated horses (p = 0.03571). The Equitend® group returned to their pre-injury performance level, racing in, and winning, significantly more races than the placebo group (p = 0.01399 and 0.0421, respectively). Furthermore, recurrence was significantly higher in the placebo group than in the Equitend® group (71.4% vs 16.6%, p = 0.02442). In conclusion, we measured a significant, short-term, reduction effect on CSA and demonstrated a long-term beneficial effect of intralesional injection of Equitend® for the treatment of superficial digital flexor tendonitis on racing ST, racing 2. 3 times more often than placebo, with 3.3 times fewer recurrences maintaining pre-injury performance level. This study may open the way for the development of a human treatment of tendonitis.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Glucans / therapeutic use*
  • Horse Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Horses
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Odds Ratio
  • Recurrence
  • Running / injuries*
  • Tendinopathy / diagnostic imaging
  • Tendinopathy / drug therapy
  • Tendinopathy / rehabilitation
  • Tendinopathy / veterinary*
  • Tendons / diagnostic imaging
  • Tendons / drug effects
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Ultrasonography

Substances

  • Glucans
  • OTR 4131

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by the National Agency of Research (Agence Nationale de la Recherche; project# ANR-08-BIOT-0021, France); url: http://www.agence-nationale-recherche.fr/Projet-ANR-08-BIOT-0021. The funder, National Agency of Research did not provide support in the form of salaries to any author. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. OTR3 provided support in the form of salaries for authors [FS and FC] and research material, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and decision to publish. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘Author Contributions’ section.OTR3 provided Equitend® treatment.