Treating and Preventing Osteoarthritis in Horses

Researchers are making progress on efforts to develop new gene and stem cell therapy approaches to help heal cartilage and prevent osteoarthritis in horses.

Cartilage injuries in equine athletes are often career-ending. Cartilage heals on a limited basis because a specific kind of protein or growth factor, called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), is not as available in the joint and cartilage as it is in other areas of the body. 

When a horse is injured or becomes ill, the lack of healing can lead to cartilage degeneration followed by the progression of osteoarthritis. This prevents many horses from returning to athletic performance."

Researchers are learning that use of stem cells in horses can be used to treat tendon and ligament injuries and arthritic joints.

Vet-Stem Regenerative Medicine and other companies are focusing on the use of stem cells taken from the horse's own tissue to treat bowed tendons, ligament injuries, fractures and osteoarthritis.

Representatives maintain that their system works effectively because they promote the following : 

• Stem cells are harvested from your horse's own fat tissue
• Cell banking -- automatic storage of cells for potential future use
• Cell Culturing to produce additional stem cells if needed
• Cells ready for use as soon as 48 hours after fat collection
• Stringent processing protocols and quality control methods
• Expert veterinary support for your veterinarian
• Demonstrated efficacy in scientific studies

Adipose-derived regenerative cells are:

• Readily available source
• Can be collected in far greater concentrations than those from bone marrow
• Able to differentiate into multiple lineages implicating their potential in bone, cartilage, and cardiac repair
•  Fractions isolated from adipose tissue contain a heterogeneous mixture of regenerative cells.

Studies that have demonstrated efficacy with VSRC therapy in horses and dogs include:

•  AJVR- Double blind stem cell study 
• Cornell University double-blind, placebo controlled study
• Retrospective studies
•  Case studies

More than 2,000 horses have been treated since 2003 with no systemic adverse events reported and less than 0.5%local tissue reactions. 

Stem cell therapy should not be used if:

Your horse has cancer

Your horse has a systemic infection

Check with your veterinarian for more information regarding therapies for treating and preventing osteoarthritis in your horse.