Valutazione della frazione apoptotica condrocitaria in frammenti osteocondrotici di cavallo

This study was carried out to investigate the role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of equine OCD (osteochondrosis dissecans) and OA (osteoartritis). It represents a preliminary study to predict the possibility of using these fragments as a source of chondrocytes cultures for ACT (autologous chondrocytes implantion) technique. Eight normal distal ends of principal metacarpal of abattoir horses and osteochondral fragments from 14 horses with clinical symptoms of OCD were processed for histopathological investigations. Apoptosis was evaluated performing TUNEL method, and immunohistochemical expression of active caspase 3 was determined using a AP technique. We found an higher number of TUNEL-positive cells and an increased active caspase 3 expression in osteochondral fragments rather than in control cartilage. Positivities decreased in samples showing a completely lack of normal cartilage architecture and necrosis areas. Both TUNEL and Caspase3 Indexes showed a low correlation between the number of positive cells and the OCD severity. Our results seem to remark the important role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of horse OCD/OA, in particular in the progression of the disease, and that chondrocytes undergo apoptosis via caspase 3. Concerning the use of horse OCD fragments as source of chondrocytes for ACT, these preliminary data indicate that there was apoptosis, but not all cells were dead and some chondrocytes could preserve a proliferative activity.