During ischemia, the cell structures are progressively damaged, but restoration of the blood flow, paradoxically, intensifies the lesions caused by the ischemia. The mechanisms of ischemia injury and reperfusion (I/R) have not been completely defined and many studies have been realized in an attempt to find an ideal therapy for mesenteric I/R. The occlusion and reperfusion of the splanchnic arteries provokes local and systemic alterations principally derived from the release of cytotoxic substances and the interaction between neutrophils and endothelial cells. Substances involved in the process are discussed in the present review, like oxygen-derived free radicals, nitric oxide, transcription factors, complement system, serotonin and pancreatic proteases. The mechanisms of apoptosis, alterations in other organs, therapeutic and evaluation methods are also discussed.

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IntroductionTendon injury is a major cause of lameness and decreased performance in athletic equines. Various therapies for tendonitis have been described; however, none of these therapies results in complete tissue regeneration, and the injury recurrence rate is high even after long recovery periods involving rest and physiotherapy.MethodsA lesion was induced with collagenase gel in the superficial digital flexor tendon in the center portion of the metacarpal region of eight equines of mixed breed. After two weeks, the lesions of the animals in the treated and control groups were treated through the intralesional administration of mesenchymal stem cells derived from adipose tissue (adMSCs) suspended in platelet concentrate (PC) and with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), respectively. Serial ultrasound analyses were performed every two weeks. After 16 weeks of therapy, a biopsy was performed for histopathological, immunohistochemical and gene expression (type I collagen (COL1A1), type III collagen (COL3A1), tenascin-C (TNC), tenomodulin (TNMD), and scleraxis (SCX)) analyses.ResultsDifferences in the ultrasound and histopathological analyses were observed between the groups. Improved results were reported in the group treated with adMSCs suspended in PC. There was no difference in the gene expression levels observed after the different treatments. The main results observed from the histopathological evaluation of the treated group were as follows: a prevention of the progression of the lesion, a greater organization of collagen fibers, and a decreased inflammatory infiltrate. A lack of progression of the lesion area and its percentage was observed in the ultrasound image, and increased blood flow was measured by Power Doppler.ConclusionsThe use of adMSCs combined with PC for the therapy of experimentally induced tendonitis prevented the progression of the tendon lesion, as observed in the ultrasound examination, and resulted in a greater organization and decreased inflammation, as observed in the histopathological evaluation. These data demonstrate the therapeutic potential of this therapy for the treatment of equine tendonitis.

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Superficial digital flexor tendon lesion is an important cause of lameness in equine athletes. Although numerous treatments have been described, few are effective at promoting significant improvement in the quality of the extracellular matrix. Therefore, great potential remains for recurrence and in certain cases, an abrupt end to the horse's athletic career. Recently, several experiments have focused on the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in cases of tendon lesions. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adipose tissue-derived MSCs in the treatment of induced tendinitis of the superficial digital flexor tendon in horses by clinical, ultrasonographic, histopathological, and immunochemical analyses. Tendinitis was induced in both thoracic limbs of eight mares by administration of collagenase solution and adipose tissue was collected from the tail base for MSCs isolation and expansion, which were used during cellular therapy on only one limb 30 days after lesion induction. No differences occurred between the groups regarding the clinical and ultrasonographic analyses; however, histopathological evaluation revealed a significant improvement in tendon fiber organization and diminished inflammatory infiltrate, whereas immunohistochemical analysis showed increased expression of type I collagen in the treated group as compared with controls. The cellular therapy model implanted in this experiment promoted increased perivascular inflammatory infiltrate, fibroblastic density, neovascularization, and qualitative healing improvement of tendon extracellular matrix, in terms of fiber orientation and type I/III collagen ratio; moreover, it was considered to be a safe and viable process.

BackgroundUnderstanding normal gait requires allowing for variations in normal patterns by the sex, age, and species in question. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate kinetic and temporospatial parameters in clinically healthy sheep from three different age groups with a pressure-sensing walkway. The sheep were judged to be healthy based on the results of complete physical and orthopaedic examinations and had no history of lameness. Twenty-one clinically healthy female Santa Ines sheep were divided into three groups: G1 – seven animals, aged from 8 to 12 months and weighing 19.5-33 kg; G2 - seven individuals, aged from 2 to 4 years and weighing 26.5-42 kg; and G3 - seven sheep, aged more than 5 years and weighing 37.3-45 kg. The animals were examined from two directions: first on the left side and then on the right side of the handler. The data from the first five valid trials in each direction were collected for each sheep and analysed using the designated software. A trial was considered valid if the sheep walked within the correct velocity (1.1-1.3 m/s) and acceleration (from −0.15 to 0.15 m/s2) ranges. The peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI), gait cycle time, stance time, swing time, stride length, and the percentage body weight distribution among the four limbs were determined.ResultsNo significant differences were observed, in either the forelimbs or the hind limbs, between the left and right sides or between the two directions for any of the variables. No significant temporospatial differences were found among the groups. Significant PVF (%BW) differences were observed in the forelimbs (G1 > G3) and hind limbs (G1 > G3), and significant VI differences were observed in the forelimbs (G1 > G3).ConclusionsYoung healthy sheep differ from older sheep in the vertical forces they create when walking at the same velocity on a pressure-sensing walkway.

The wound healing is a complex process which, sometimes, can be a problem in public health because of the possibility of physical disability or even death. Due to the lack of a gold standard drug in skin wound treatment and aiming at the discovery of new treatments in skin repair and the mechanisms involved in the process, we used oleoresin (OR) from Copaifera langsdorffii and hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves (EH) to treat rat skin wounds. For that, male Wistar rats were divided into groups ( = 8): Lanette, Collagenase, 10% EH, or 10% OR and, after anesthesia, one wound of 2 cm was made in the back of animals. The wounds were treated once a day for 3, 7, or 14 days and the wound areas were measured. The rats were euthanized and skin samples destined to biochemical, molecular, and immunohistochemical analysis. The results showed a macroscopic retraction of the wounds of 10% EH and 10% OR creams and both treatments showed anti-inflammatory activity. Molecular and immunohistochemical results demonstrated the activity of Copaifera langsdorffii creams in angiogenesis, reepithelialization, wound retraction, and remodeling mechanisms.

Impaired wound healing is a debilitating complication of diabetes that leads to significant morbidity, particularly foot ulcers. Natural products have shown to be effective in treating skin wounds. Lupeol is known to stimulate angiogenesis, fibroblast proliferation, and expressions of cytokines and growth factors involved in wound healing. The study is performed to evaluate the wound healing activity of lupeol in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats by macroscopical, histological, immunohistochemical, immunoenzymatic, and molecular methods. Percentage of wound closure and contraction was increased in the lupeol-treated group when compared to the Lanette group. Histopathological observation revealed decreased inflammatory cell infiltration and increased proliferation of fibroblasts, vascularization, and deposition of collagen fibers after lupeol treatment. Immunohistochemical analyses showed decreased intensity of NF-κB and increased intensity of FGF-2, TGF-β1, and collagen III. ELISA results revealed downregulated IL-6 levels and upregulated IL-10 levels in response to lupeol. The mRNA expression levels of Hif-1α, Sod-2, and Ho-1 were significantly increased in response to lupeol as compared to Lanette whereas Nf-κb and Vegf-A levels were decreased in relation to insulin and lupeol treatment. These findings indicate that lupeol possesses wound healing potential in hyperglycemic conditions and may be useful as a treatment for chronic wounds in diabetic patients.