Prostaglandin E2 in equine joint disease
1994
May, S.A. | Lees, P. (Royal Veterinary College, Herts (United Kingdom). Dept. of Veterinary Basic Sciences) | Hooke, R.E. | Peremans, K.Y. | Verschooten, F.
Lameness is one of the main clinical signs of joint disease in the horse and pony, but the mechanisms responsible for pain generation remain unclear. This study looked at prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) concentrations in normal synovial fluids, and compared these with synovial fluid samples from 41 diseased joints. PGE2 concentrations were low in 8 joints affected by osteochondrosis dissecans, but elevated in cases of infective arthritis, acute sprains, recent intra-articular fractures, and a number of cases of degenerative joint diseases. All cases with elevated PGE2 concentrations were lame at the time of sampling. This, together with evidence of pain relief provided by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in case of joint disease, suggests that PGE2 may be one of the inflammatory mediators causing lameness in various types of arthritis. Further, the lack of any association between leucocyte count and PGE2 concentration in synovial fluid supports the hypothesis that this inflammatory mediator originates from resident articular cells, such as synovial cell or chondrocytes, rather than white blood cells.
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