Equine Dental Pulp Connective Tissue Particles Reduced Lameness in Horses in a Controlled Clinical Trial.
Authors: Bertone Alicia L, Reisbig Nathalie A, Kilborne Allison H, Kaido Mari, Salmanzadeh Navid, Lovasz Rebecca, Sizemore Joy L, Scheuermann Logan, Kopp Rosalind J, Zekas Lisa J, Brokken Matthew T
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers investigated whether injected allogeneic dental pulp tissue particles—viable cells suspended in extracellular matrix derived from foal dental pulp—could reduce lameness in 40 client-owned horses with either osteoarthritis (OA; n=20) or soft tissue injury comprising desmitis or tendonitis (n=20). In this prospective, randomised, blinded, controlled trial, horses received either 10×10⁶ dental pulp particles or vehicle control via intra-articular or intra-lesional injection on day 0, with treadmill exercise initiated over the following two weeks and outcome measures recorded through 45 days, including objective lameness scoring, flexion/pressure pain response, and subjective client comfort assessment. Pulp-treated horses demonstrated significantly reduced lameness compared to both baseline and placebo controls for at least two weeks (P<0.009 and P<0.013 respectively), with client-reported comfort improvements persisting to 45 days (P<0.001); notably, soft tissue injuries showed substantially greater clinical improvement than OA cases (P<0.001), and long-term follow-up of 20 horses revealed at least 10 remaining in work beyond 2.5 years. These findings suggest dental pulp tissue particles merit consideration as a viable regenerative medicine option for managing equine lameness, particularly in soft tissue conditions, though the superior response in desmitis and tendonitis compared with OA warrants careful case selection and further investigation into the mechanisms underlying differential tissue responses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Dental pulp tissue particle injection shows promise for reducing lameness in both OA and soft tissue injuries, with effects observable within 2 weeks and maintained through 45 days
- •Soft tissue injuries (desmitis/tendonitis) respond better to this treatment than osteoarthritis, suggesting mechanism may involve tissue regeneration rather than joint cartilage repair
- •Long-term follow-up data indicates some horses maintain functional improvement for >2.5 years, though this requires confirmation in larger populations
Key Findings
- •Pulp-treated horses showed significant decrease in lameness compared to baseline (P<0.009) and placebo controls (P<0.013) for at least 2 weeks
- •Client assessments of comfort improved significantly between baseline and 45 days post-injection (P<0.001)
- •Clinical improvement with soft tissue injury was significantly greater than with osteoarthritis (P<0.001)
- •At >2.5-year follow-up, at least 10 of 20 horses were in work