A report on the use of a single intra-articular administration of autologous platelet therapy in a naturally occurring canine osteoarthritis model : a preliminary study

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2020-02, Vol.21(1):127 (1), p.127-127, Article 127
• Main Authors: Alves, João C., Santos, A., Jorge, P., Lavrador, C., Carreira, Luis Miguel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal model; Animals; Arthritis; Autologous platelet concentrate; Blood platelets; Blood Transfusion, Autologous - methods; Clinical metrology instruments; Disease Models, Animal; Dog; Dogs; Female; Gait; Growth factors; Injections, Intra-Articular - methods; Male; Musculoskeletal diseases; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Hip - diagnosis; Osteoarthritis, Hip - therapy; Pain; Pets; Platelet Transfusion - methods; Quality of life
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-020-3140-9

Research Areas : Orthopedics ; Rheumatology Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a significant burden to societies, as it affects quality of life, performance and poses a large healthcare cost. We aimed to describe the use of a single intra-articular (IA) injection of an autologous platelet therapy in the management of osteoarthritis (OA) in a naturally occurring canine model. Methods: Fifteen police working dogs with bilateral hip OA were treated with 3 ml of platelet concentrate per hip joint, produced with the V-PET kit. Response to treatment was measured by the Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI, divided in pain interference score – PIS, and Pain Severity Score - PSS), Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD), Canine Orthopedic Index (COI, divided in four dimensions: function, gait, stiffness and quality of life - QOL) and the Hudson Visual Analogue Scale (HVAS). Seven different time points were considered: T0 (before treatment), T1 (after 15 days), T2, T3, T4, T5 and T6 (after 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 months respectively). Results from each evaluation moment were compared with T0 with a Paired Samples T-Test, and a p < 0.05 was set. Results: Significant differences were observed at T1 (p < 0.01 for HVAS, PSS, COI, Gait and QOL; p = 0.01 for PIS; p = 0.02 for Function; and p < 0.05 for Stiffness), T2 (p < 0.01 for PSS, PIS and Gait; p = 0.01 for COI; p = 0.02 for HVAS, Function and QOL; and p = 0.04 for Stiffness), T3 (p < 0.01 for HVAS, PSS, PIS, Function and Gait; p = 0.01 for COI; and p = 0.02 for QOL), T4 (p < 0.01 for PSS; p = 0.03 for PIS and Gait), T5 (p < 0.01 for COI, Function and Gait; p = 0.03 for PSS, PIS and Stiffness), T6 (p < 0.01 for PSS, Function and Gait; p = 0.04 for PIS; p < 0.05 for COI) and T7 (p < 0.01 for PSS, Function and Gait; p = 0.01 for COI; and p < 0.05 for PIS). Conclusions: Autologous platelet therapy was used without apparent harm in the subjects. A single administration produced significant improvements, which lasted several months, and therefore warrants further study.