Influence of Incubation Time and Incubation Tube on the Cytokine and Growth Factor Concentrations of Autologous Conditioned Serum in Horses.
Authors: Lasarzik de Ascurra Juliane, Ehrle Anna, Einspanier Ralf, Lischer Christoph
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Autologous Conditioned Serum Preparation in Horses Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) has become established as a therapeutic option for equine osteoarthritis, yet practical uncertainty persists regarding optimal preparation protocols—specifically, how long blood should be incubated and whether specialised equine ACS systems offer advantages over standard laboratory tubes. Lasarzik de Ascurra and colleagues incubated whole blood samples from seven sound horses and six with naturally occurring OA for 12, 24, and 36 hours, comparing interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) concentrations between commercial vacutainer glass tubes and purpose-designed equine ACS kits. No significant differences in cytokine or growth factor concentrations emerged between standard and specialised incubation systems at 24 or 36 hours, and extending incubation beyond 24 hours did not meaningfully increase any of the measured biomarkers. Notably, serum from OA-affected horses showed no significant elevation in IL-1ra, IL-1β, or IGF-1 compared with control animals, suggesting the therapeutic benefit of ACS may lie in its anti-inflammatory properties rather than disease-specific amplification. For practitioners preparing ACS, these findings suggest that standardised 24-hour incubation protocols using conventional serum tubes are biochemically equivalent to branded systems, potentially offering cost savings without compromising therapeutic efficacy.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Standard 24-hour incubation appears sufficient for ACS preparation in horses; extending to 36 hours provides no additional benefit in cytokine or growth factor yield
- •Specialized equine ACS kits and commercial serum glass tubes produce equivalent results, potentially offering cost or accessibility advantages with standard tubes
- •ACS preparation protocol does not need to be modified differently for OA versus non-OA horses as cytokine profiles are similar between groups
Key Findings
- •No significant difference in IL-1ra, IL-1β, and IGF-1 concentrations between commercial serum vacutainer tubes and specialized equine ACS systems at 24 or 36 hours of incubation
- •Incubation time exceeding 24 hours does not significantly increase cytokine and growth factor concentrations in equine ACS
- •ACS from horses with naturally occurring OA did not contain significantly different IL-1ra, IL-1β, or IGF-1 concentrations compared to control horses