Synovial Cytokine Modulation Following Perinatal Tissue Therapy in Equine Joints ± NSAID Administration

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of lameness in horses. A number of treatment modalities are currently available for OA, including NSAIDs, disease modifying systemic drugs such as pentosan polysulfate (PPS), corticosteroids, platelet rich plasma (PRP), autologous conditioned serum (IRAP/ACS), stem cell therapy (MSC), extracellular vesicles (EVs) and amnion products. While NSAIDs and steroids alleviate pain and inflammation temporarily, they have minimal impact on stopping or reversing joint damage. Therapeutics modalities such as PRP, IRAP, MSC, EVs and amnion products are more likely to not only block inflammation but also potentially reverse joint damage. Over the past decade, the use of regenerative therapeutics in veterinary medicine has garnered significant interest. While stem cells represent a familiar approach to induce tissue regeneration and healing 1 , other therapeutic products such as tissue-derived biologics, as well as purified biologics from natural tissues have shown great promise in the treatment of various diseases and musculoskeletal system injuries 2 .