Large Animal Surgery Resident University of Pennsylvania Raleigh, North Carolina
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a major role in the complex pathophysiology of posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Currently, negligible information exists on EVs and joint disease in the horse; thereby, creating a need to investigate their role in PTOA, evaluate their potential as biomarkers, and identify therapeutic targets. The objective of this study was to characterize EVs in synovial fluid and plasma obtained from horses with and without PTOA. We hypothesized that synovial fluid and plasma from horses with PTOA would contain EVs with significantly different EV subtypes and transcriptomes than horses without PTOA. Briefly, synovial fluid and plasma were collected from horses with and without PTOA. EVs were isolated and characterized via Western Blot, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size distribution and total miRNA sequencing. EV isolation was confirmed in both plasma and synovial samples using Western Blot and TEM. There was no significant difference in EV concentration in synovial or plasma samples from horses with or without PTOA. Plasma samples from horses with PTOA had a significantly higher proportion of exosomes and a lower proportion of microvesicles compared to horses without PTOA. miRNA has been isolated from all samples and transcriptome sequencing is currently underway. The main limitations of this study include small population size and exclusion of horses with mild PTOA. Our initial findings suggest that horses with PTOA have altered plasma EVs compared to horses without PTOA. Further studies are required to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of PTOA and develop targeted, effective therapies.
