An experimentally induced osteoarthritis model in horses performed on both metacarpophalangeal and metatarsophalangeal joints: Technical, clinical, imaging, biochemical, macroscopic and microscopic characterization

PLoS One. 2020 Jun 25;15(6):e0235251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235251. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and economic loss in both humans and horses. The horse is recognized as a suitable model for human osteoarthritis, because the thickness, structure, and mechanical properties of equine articular cartilage are highly comparable to those of humans. Although a number of equine experimental osteoarthritis models have been described in the literature, these cases generally involve the induction of osteoarthritis in just one joint of each animal. This approach necessitates the involvement of large numbers of horses to obtain reliable data and thus limits the use of this animal model, for both economic and ethical reasons. This study adapts an established equine model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis to induce osteoarthritis-associated lesions in all 4 fetlock joints of the same horse in order to reduce the number of animals involved and avoid individual variability, thus obtaining a more reliable method to evaluate treatment efficacy in future studies. The objectives are to assess the feasibility of the procedure, evaluate variability of the lesions according to interindividual and operated-limb position and describe the spontaneous evolution of osteoarthritis-associated pathological changes over a twelve-week period. The procedure was well tolerated by all 8 experimental horses and successfully induced mild osteoarthritis-associated changes in the four fetlock joints of each horse. Observations were carried out using clinical, radiographic, ultrasonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging methods as well as biochemical analyses of synovial fluid and postmortem microscopic and macroscopic evaluations of the joints. No significant differences were found in the progression of osteoarthritis-associated changes between horses or between the different limbs, with the exception of higher synovial effusion in hind fetlocks compared to front fetlocks and higher radiographic scores for left fetlocks compared to the right. This model thus appears to be a reliable means to evaluate the efficacy of new treatments in horses, and may be of interest for translational studies in human medicine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Horses
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Metatarsal Bones / pathology
  • Metatarsophalangeal Joint / diagnostic imaging
  • Metatarsophalangeal Joint / pathology*
  • Metatarsophalangeal Joint / surgery
  • Osteoarthritis / diagnostic imaging
  • Osteoarthritis / metabolism
  • Osteoarthritis / pathology*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Synovial Fluid / chemistry

Grants and funding

This research was funded by ERDF (European Regional Development Funds) grants to SJ, FA, PG and M. Demoor (HIPPOCART 1 no. 2897/33535, 917RB148; HIPPOCART 917CB174), by a Normandy County Council program to SJ, FA, PG and M. Demoor (HIPPOCART N° 2013-AGRI-236/13P07492, 917CB166), by Fonds Eperon to SJ, FA, PG and M. Demoor (EQUISTEM, N80-2014, 917CB194), by the GIS CENTAUREequine research (EQUISTEM-G program to PG, 014CJ061), by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and by Normandy County Council through the ANR TecSan PROMOCART program to PG (917RB020 and 917RB072 respectively), by the French Ministry of Research and Technology to PG, by CENTAURE European project co-founded by Normandy County Council, European Union in the framework of the ERDFESF operational programe 2014-2020. M. Desancé was the recipient of a PhD fellowship from the Normandy County Council. TB was supported by a PhD scholarship from the French Ministry of Research and Technology. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. They provided support in the form of salaries (technicians, PhD students), operating costs and materials.