Inflammatory mediators are potential biomarkers for extracorporeal shockwave therapy in horses.
Authors: Chen J-W, Stefanovski D, Haughan J, Jiang Z, Boston R, Soma L R, Robinson M A
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Inflammatory Mediators as ESWT Biomarkers Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) presents a regulatory challenge in equine sport because it can provide analgesia that may mask underlying injury, yet currently no reliable method exists to detect whether a horse has undergone treatment prior to competition. Chen and colleagues investigated whether ESWT-induced changes in inflammatory mediators could serve as detectable biomarkers, drawing on evidence from other species that shockwave therapy systematically alters inflammatory profiles. Using measured inflammatory mediator concentrations as outcome variables, the team identified specific markers that showed significant alterations following ESWT application, with measurable changes persisting for clinically relevant timeframes. These findings suggest that targeted inflammatory biomarkers could potentially form the basis of a detection protocol to identify recent ESWT use in competition horses, offering veterinary regulatory bodies a scientific approach to maintaining fair competition standards. For practitioners, this research underscores both the physiological effects of ESWT beyond analgesia and the broader implications of treatment timing relative to competitive events.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •If inflammatory biomarkers can be validated, competition testing protocols could detect horses treated with ESWT to prevent use as a masking agent for injury
- •Understanding how ESWT alters inflammatory mediators in horses may help differentiate therapeutic response from pain masking in clinical practice
- •Veterinarians should be aware that ESWT may alter measurable biomarkers, which could have implications for pre-competition screening
Key Findings
- •ESWT is known to affect inflammatory mediators in other species
- •Inflammatory mediators could serve as biomarkers to detect prior ESWT administration in horses
- •Tests to detect ESWT use in horses prior to competition are needed to prevent masking of painful injuries