Documentation of the Clinical Outcome of Four Laminitis Cases Managed With the Same Hoof Care and Dietary Management Protocol

s Vol 30, No 2 (2010) 115 Recent evidence has suggested that exercise decreases insulin resistance in obese horses; this laminitis treatment is unique because exercise is prescribed before complete recovery if certain criteria are met. The success of this system may be dependent on owner compliance with diet and exercise recommendations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE This treatment method may provide an effective method of restoring soundness and normal hoof anatomy in certain populations of laminitic horses. In this small population, hoof health was restored without surgical techniques. CONCLUSION Further investigation with more cases is warranted. Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Laminar Tissue From Horses Subjected to Intestinal Obstruction and Treated With Hydrocortisone Luciane M. Laskoski, MSc, Carlos A.A. Valadao, DVM, Rosemeire O. Vasconcelos, DVM, Rafael Resende Faleiros, DVM, Danilo Ferrucci, MSc, Juliete A.F. Silva, MSc, and Dagmar R.S. Machado, DVM, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Medicine (Laskoski, Valadao) and Department of Veterinary Pathology FCAVSao Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, SP 14884-900, Brazil (Vasconcelos); Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery, School of Veterinary – Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30123-970, Brazil (Faleiros); Department of Applied Immunology University of Campinas, Campinas, SP 13484-370, Brazil (Ferrucci, Silva, Machado) TAKE HOME MESSAGE Hydrocortisone treatment may be beneficial to reduce the risk of laminitis in horses subjected to intestinal surgery. INTRODUCTION Laminitis is a major complication of gastrointestinal diseases in horses and its physiopathology is connected with lamellar basement membrane degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and leukocyte infiltration. The objective was to study laminar MMP-2, MMP-9 and NGAL expression in horses subjected to jejunal obstruction treated or not with hydrocortisone. MATERIAL AND METHODS Zymography was performed to quantify MMP-2, MMP-9 and NGAL in laminar tissue samples obtained from horses allotted in the control group (CG, n 1⁄4 7); the sham-operated group (SG, n 1⁄4 5, jejunal enterotomy); the nontreated group (NTG, n 1⁄4 5, jejunal obstruction), and the treated group (TG, n 1⁄4 4, jejunal obstruction and hydrocortisone4mg/kg, IV). Calprotectin expression was used to confirm neutrophil laminar presence in obstructed groups. Data was analyzed by one way ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc test (P < 0.05). RESULTS Overexpression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 occurred in obstructed groups (NTG and GT) when compared to CG horses. NGAL/MMP-9 complex expression was increased in the SG and NTG horses, but no increase was observed in horses treated with hydrocortisone (TG). Leukocyte presence in obstructed groups was detected by immunohistochemistry. DISCUSSION Amplifying previous findings that equine intestinal obstruction can cause lung neutrophil accumulation, our study indicates that jejunal obstruction may produce neutrophil accumulation and MMP overexpression in equine laminae and that hydrocortisone can ameliorate laminar inflammation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Hydrocortisone treatment may ameliorate laminar inflammation in horses subjected to intestinal surgery. CONCLUSION Intestinal obstruction can induce laminar MMP expression and inflammation. Leukocyte Infiltration and the Role of Interleukin-6 During the Development of Oligofructose Induced Laminitis Michelle B. Visser and Christopher C. Pollitt, Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia TAKE HOME MESSAGE The leukocytic infiltration of carbohydrate induced laminitis is preceded by IL-6 expression.