Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in Horses - Molecular Background of its Pathogenesis and Perspectives for Progenitor Stem Cell Therapy

Abstract

Osteochondrosis (osteochondrosis dissecans; OCD) is a disease syndrome of growing cartilage related to different clinical entities such as epiphysitis, subchondral cysts and angular carpal deformities, which occurs in growing animals of all species, including horses. Nowadays, these disorders are affecting increasing numbers of young horses worldwide. As a complex multifactorial disease, OCD is initiated when failure in cartilage canals because of existing ischemia, chondrocyte biogenesis impairment as well as biochemical and genetic disruptions occur. Recently, particular attention have been accorded to the definition of possible relations between OCD and some metabolic disorders; in this way, implication of mitochondrial dysfunctions, endoplasmic reticulum disruptions, oxidative stress or endocrinological affections are among the most considered axes for future researches. As one of the most frequent cause of impaired orthopaedic potential, which may result in a sharp decrease in athletic performances of the affected animals, and lead to the occurrence of complications such as joint fragility and laminitis, OCD remains as one of the primary causes of considerable economic losses in all sections of the equine industry. It would therefore be important to provide more information on the exact pathophysiological mechanism(s) underlying early OC(D) lesions, in order to implement innovative strategies involving the use of progenitor stem cells, which are considered nowadays as a promising approach to regenerative medicine, with the potential to treat numerous orthopaedic disorders, including osteo-degenerative diseases, for prevention and reduction of incidence of the disease, not only in horses, but also in human medicine, as the equine model is already widely accepted by the scientific community and approved by the FDA, for the research and application of cellular therapies in the treatment of human conditions.

Keywords: Cartilage; Chondrocyte; Dissecans; Molecular events; Osteochondrosis; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells.

Fig. 1

Ossification process of the long bone in mammals [19]

Fig. 2

Characterization of CSPCs isolated from human, equine and bovine articular cartilage. a expression of stem-cell-related surface markers; b Properties of CSPCs and use for osteoarthritis (OA) management [41]

Fig. 3

A schematic representation of the development of the osteochondrosis lesions complex in horses and the associated factors involved in pathogenesis [1]