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There is not much data on the pathology of the hoof and of the distal phalanx in coldblooded horses (CH). In the present study we analysed the prevalence of certain abnormalities in hoof geometry and changes in the architecture and location of the distal phalanx related to those abnormalities in a randomly selected population of coldblooded horses. The study material comprised autopodium parts of forelimbs in CH from private animal farms (

The aim of this work was to assess the effect of different stabilizing agents, for example, polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and their influence on equine platelet activation and release of particular growth factors. The gold nanoparticles were produced by chemical reduction of chloroauric acid. UV-Vis spectroscopy confirmed the presence of gold nanoparticles in investigated solutions. The AuNPs were incubated with whole blood at various concentrations. The morphology of platelets in PRP prepared from the blood incubated with AuNPs was characterized by scanning transmission electron microscopy, whereas the concentrations of growth factors and cytokines were evaluated by ELISA assays. The most promising results were obtained with equine platelets incubated with 5% AuNPs stabilized by PEI, which lead to secretion of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1) and simultaneously cause decrease in concentration of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α). The qRT-PCR confirmed ELISA test results. The incubation with 5% AuNPs stabilized by PEI leads to upregulation of BMP-2 and VEGF transcripts of mRNA level and to downregulating expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6). Obtained data shed a promising light on gold nanoparticle application for future regenerative medicine application.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of gold nanoparticles (AuNPS) on equine platelet morphology, ultrastructure as well as secretion of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), gelsolin (GSN), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The gold nanoparticles, with an average diameter of 20 nm, were incubated with whole anticoagulated blood at 1%, 5%, and 10% w/v for 24 hours. We showed that the application of gold nanoparticles at all the tested concentrations led to platelet activation; however, 5% of AuNPS resulted in the secretion of elevated levels of GSN and VEGF, while the concentration of TNF-αwas the lowest. The data indicate that this method may be considered a promising tool for improving the currently used in clinical practice commercially available autologous conditioned serum (ACS) isolation systems for the treatment of equine osteoarthritis.

Abstract. The genetic background of osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) has been studied for years, but the compatibility of the position of markers has not been reached between results, probably because of unknown additional effects that may influence the results, such as definition of the trait, gene-environmental interactions and the dynamics of trait development. The aim of the study was to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with the occurrence of OCD in Polish Warmblood sport breed horses in two different stages of training. Warmblood horses (87 stallions and 114 mares) were phenotyped and genotyped. Horses were X-rayed twice, at the beginning and at the end of the tests (100 days for stallions and 60 days for mares). Ten images per horse were collected using digital equipment for the fetlocks, stifles and hocks. The DNA was genotyped using the Illumina Neogen Equine Array. Statistical analysis included the Cochran-Armitage test and logistic regression assuming an additive model of inheritance. The Monte Carlo Markov Chain method was also applied to determine heritability coefficients. Nineteen and twenty SNP were identified that were significantly associated with OCD using logistic regression at the first and second stage of training, respectively. Four SNP were significant for both stages of training. The estimation of the heritability of a horse's OCD status does not achieve the same level at different stages of training. The study on the genetic background of horse OCD should include as much detailed information on their training as possible.