A research team from the Nutraceutical Alliance Inc. shared some good news for owners of horses with osteoarthritis at the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention: A nutritional supplement fed immediately after osteochondral fragment removal surgery could help reduce the amount of post-surgical inflammation in the joint.

Wendy Pearson, PhD, president of the Nutraceutical Alliance Inc., presented study results at the convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif.

Pearson explained that researchers had previously shown that a joint supplement—"4CYTE," produced by the Australian company Interpath Pty Ltd.—that contains a patented plant extract inhibited prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂, a chemical produced by the body that is involved in inflammation and in pain perception) production in horses with experimentally induced joint inflammation. In the current study researchers evaluated the effect of the supplement in horses with articular inflammation and/or joint damage due to osteoarthritis fragments in the knee or fetlock.

The team hypothesized that including the supplement in affected horses’ diets would "reduce synovial fluid PGE₂, nitric oxide (both indicators of pain and inflammation), and glycosaminoglycan (an indicator of cartilage breakdown), while improving clinical signs of articular inflammation in these horses," Pearson said