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33rd Annual Scientific Meeting proceedings


Stream:   |   Session: Resident Forum - Large Animal
Date/Time: 04-07-2024 (19:30 - 19:45)   |   Location: Auditorium 2
Pharmacological alternatives to oxytetracycline as potential treatment of flexural limb deformities in foals: a preliminary in vitro cell viability and proliferation study
Cardinaux EM1, Oltmanns H2, Beineke A3, Meißner J2, Geburek F*1
1Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany, 2Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany, 3Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.

Objectives:

Flexural limb deformities are seen commonly in foals. Administration of oxytetracycline is a common non-surgical treatment option due to its relaxing effect on the muscle-tendon-unit, potentially mediated through a matrix-metalloproteinase-(MMP-)inhibitor mechanism. Its high therapeutic dose for this indication, potential severe adverse side effects and guidelines for prudent use of antimicrobials, make the investigation of alternatives desirable. In this study the influence of a panel of substances, with potentially similar mechanism of action on flexural deformities, however without antimicrobial properties, on the viability and proliferation of juvenile tendon myofibroblasts was assessed in vitro.

Methods:

Myofibroblasts from forelimb SDFTs and accessory ligaments of the DDFT from 6 foals, euthanized for reasons unrelated to this study, were cultured and characterized. The myofibroblasts were incubated with oxytetracycline, the MMP-inhibitors incyclinide, ilomastat, aprotinin and pentoxifylline, the lathyrogenic agent β-aminopropionitrile fumarate (BAPN) and Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium as control. Viability and proliferation capacities of the myofibroblasts were assessed through colorimetric cell viability (MTS) and crystal violet assays.

Results:

The morphology and immunohistochemistry profile of the cultured cells was consistent with tendon and ligament myofibroblasts. All test substances were biocompatible (no cytotoxic or anti-proliferative effect), shown by the absence of significant differences between cells incubated with the different substances and medium.  

Conclusions:

At the tested concentrations none of the substances showed any negative impact on the viability and proliferation capacity of cultured juvenile myofibroblasts, properties similar to oxytetracycline for all substances. Further investigations of their inhibitory capacity on the contraction of juvenile equine muscle-tendon-unit are necessary.

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