Cyto-biochemical Studies for Diagnosis of Some Joint Affections in Horses

Abstract

Joint disease is the most common cause of early retirement of pleasure and performance horses. Joint diseases are typically classified into septic and aseptic arthritis, both are usually caused by trauma except in septic arthritis infectious agents are introduced into the joint space. Both types of arthritis are intricate inflammatory processes where the local inflammatory mediators and cytokines produced by the injured synovium cause further irritation to the synovium and promote cartilage breakdown. The diagnosis of joint disorders depends on a series of different investigations; a previous history of injury or repetitive trauma, lameness examination and clinical signs of arthritis, radiography, arthrocentesis for routine synovial fluid analysis and detection of synovial fluid inflammatory biomarkers, and ultimately the histopathological assessment of the synovial membrane. The present study was aimed firstly, to investigate some selected clinicopathological findings and cytological alteration as well as radiological changes associated with joint affection in horses. Secondly, we aimed to explore the diagnostic efficacy of the inflammatory biomarkers MMP-2, MMP-9, and COX-2 in detection of joint affections.