Comparative Analysis of Equine and Human Naturally Occurring Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease arising from untreated cartilage lesions and is characterized by a deterioration of cartilage’s mechanical properties and biochemical composition [1]. Additionally, electromechanical properties also decline with cartilage degradation, which can be measured by the quantitative parameter (QP), a marker of cartilage’s quality and OA severity [2]. Advances in disease-modifying therapies have been limited by the lack of reliable preclinical models that faithfully replicate human OA. Large animal osteochondral plugs provide a reproducible ex vivo platform, yet validation against human disease remains necessary. Equine stifle joints are a suitable source due to their human-like cartilage thickness and preserved bone-cartilage interface [3]. This study compares equine and human plugs across OA stages to evaluate the suitability of equine tissue as an in vitro translational OA model and to establish a quantitative reference database of OA-associated degeneration.