Prospects for Osteoarthritis Treatment in Horses, and Potentially Humans

For the first time, researchers have unveiled an intervention that appears to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). 

A clinical study conducted jointly by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Gothenburg (UGOT), Sweden, has yielded remarkable results. Horses afflicted with OA, treated with a novel drug combination, not only achieved freedom from lameness but also experienced a simultaneous inhibition of joint tissue degradation.

OA is a degenerative disease involving the whole joint. It arises from the deterioration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone structure. This condition is the primary cause of joint pain and lameness in horses. Racehorses often become lame early in their careers, and every year many horses retire due to the disease.

New Drug with Treatment Potential

The new potential treatment for OA stems from a long-term collaboration between researchers at SLU and UGOT resulting in a series of basic science publications. Through extensive cell culture studies, the researchers had been able to evaluate and present a drug combination consisting of a local anaesthetic drug and an anti-inflammatory drug (sildenafil), in extremely low concentrations. When coupled with glucose, this combination demonstrated the capacity to rejuvenate and repair damaged cartilage cells, known as chondrocytes, extracted from horses affected with OA.

“We have successfully demonstrated the drugs’ potential in receding