BACKGROUND Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) can potentially mask painful injuries in equine athletes. Tests to detect whether a horse has received ESWT prior to competition are needed. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is known to affect inflammatory mediators in other species, and if these mediators are altered in the horse, these could serve as biomarkers of ESWT. OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that a single application of ESWT will alter the circulating protein concentrations of 10 inflammatory mediators in horse plasma. STUDY DESIGN Prospective repeated measures experimental study. METHODS Eleven healthy horses were administered a single dose of ESWT on the dorsal surface of proximal MCIII. Blood samples were collected at -168, -144, -120, -96, -72, -70, -68, -66, -48, -24, -6, -4, -2, 0 h before and 2, 4, 6, 24, 48, 72, 96, 168, 336 and 504 h after ESWT. Plasma concentrations of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-15, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), soluble toll-like receptor 2 (sTLR2) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were measured to assess the effects of ESWT on these mediators. RESULTS Baseline concentrations of inflammatory mediators did not change substantially during the week prior to ESWT. Plasma concentrations of five inflammatory factors changed following ESWT. IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly down-regulated (P<0.01), while TNF-α, IL-1RA and TLR2 were significantly up-regulated (P<0.01). The remaining cytokines were not significantly affected by ESWT. MAIN LIMITATIONS This study was performed in a small number of sedentary, healthy pasture-kept horses using a single dose of ESWT applied to a single location. Additional studies are necessary to determine the effect of ESWT on inflammatory mediators in athletic horses undergoing treatment for musculoskeletal injuries. CONCLUSIONS Plasma concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-1RA, IL-6 and TLR2 were significantly affected by ESWT, and deserve further investigation as possible biomarkers of ESWT.

中文翻译：

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炎症介质是马体外冲击波治疗的潜在生物标志物。

背景 体外冲击波疗法 (ESWT) 可以潜在地掩盖马运动员的痛苦伤害。需要进行测试以检测一匹马在比赛前是否接受过 ESWT。众所周知，体外冲击波疗法会影响其他物种的炎症介质，如果这些介质在马体内发生改变，这些可以作为 ESWT 的生物标志物。目的 检验单次 ESWT 应用会改变马血浆中 10 种炎症介质的循环蛋白浓度的假设。研究设计前瞻性重复测量实验研究。方法 11 匹健康马在近端 MCIII 背侧接受单剂量 ESWT。在 -168、-144、-120、-96、-72、-70、-68、-66、-48、-24、-6、-4、-2、0 h 之前和 2、 4、6、24、48、72、96、168、ESWT 后 336 和 504 小时。白细胞介素 1 β (IL-1β)、IL-1 受体拮抗剂 (IL-1RA)、IL-2、IL-4、IL-6、IL-10、IL-15、干扰素 γ (IFN-γ) 的血浆浓度、可溶性 toll 样受体 2 (sTLR2) 和肿瘤坏死因子 α (TNF-α) 被测量以评估 ESWT 对这些介质的影响。结果 在 ESWT 之前的一周内，炎症介质的基线浓度没有显着变化。ESWT 后五种炎症因子的血浆浓度发生了变化。IL-1β和IL-6显着下调（P<0.01），而TNF-α、IL-1RA和TLR2显着上调（P<0.01）。剩余的细胞因子不受 ESWT 的显着影响。主要限制 这项研究是在少数久坐不动的人中进行的，使用单剂量 ESWT 应用于单个位置的健康牧场饲养马。需要更多的研究来确定 ESWT 对接受肌肉骨骼损伤治疗的运动马的炎症介质的影响。结论 TNF-α、IL-1β、IL-1RA、IL-6 和 TLR2 的血浆浓度受 ESWT 显着影响，值得进一步研究作为 ESWT 的可能生物标志物。