A single injection of platelet-rich plasma appears beneficial for acute clinical tendon injuries in horses, report a group of scientists from The Netherlands.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a fraction of whole blood that contains a concentrated source of platelets–microscopic storage facilities for a variety of growth factors that facilitate healing.

Considering the prevalence of tendon injuries in horses, the fact that PRP is already commercially available, and the dearth of proven therapies for managing tendon injuries, the research team performed a placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of PRP for treating equine tendons.

A core defect was surgically created in the superficial digital flexor tendon of both front limbs of six Standardbred horses. Seven days after surgery, researchers injected one randomly chosen tendon lesion in each horse with 3mL of PRP while the other tendon was injected with saline