The Laminitis Discovery Database

Article Outline

• Take Home Message
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Clinical Relevance
• Conclusion
• Copyright

Back to Article Outline

Take Home Message 

The Laminitis Discovery Database is a collaborative tissue bank and information resource.

Back to Article Outline

Introduction 

Establishment of a centralized laminitis tissue bank was identified as a top priority at the first AAEP Foundation Equine Laminitis Research Workshop. Initiated in 2008, the purpose of the Laminitis Discovery Database is to collect and provide well-documented tissue samples from non-laminitic and experimental and natural laminitic horses for collaborative research.

Back to Article Outline

Materials and Methods 

Samples collected: ante-mortem serum and plasma, gross specimen images and lamellar length measurements, liquid nitrogen snap frozen, formalin-fixed/paraffin-embedded, and paraformaldehyde-fixed/OCT-embedded frozen tissue collected from five regions along the dorsal dermal-epidermal interface: skin, coronary, proximal, mid, and distal lamellar tissues, and frozen mixed cells. Tissue and horse information stored in a master catalog and freezer log. A mid-lamellar sample from each foot is submitted for histopathological evaluation.

Back to Article Outline

Results 

Currently, samples have been banked from 78 horses, including 48h hyperinsulinemia model (4, plus matched controls), 24h oligofructose model (5), fetuses (6), foals (3), non-laminitic horses (32), and laminitic horses (16) including supporting limb (3), retained placenta (1), PPID (4), chronic (6), and acute (2) laminitis. Various ages (non-laminitic: 9.2 ± 5.7 (mean ± S.D.) years; and laminitic: 14 ± 10 years) and breeds are represented.

Back to Article Outline

Discussion 

Major challenges of tissue banking include case recruitment, timing and technical difficulty of tissue retrieval, and proper archiving. More samples are needed for age/breed/sex-matched case-control studies.

Back to Article Outline

Clinical Relevance 

Understanding laminitis pathophysiology is essential for the rational development of an evidence-based approach to this disease.

Back to Article Outline

Conclusion 

Banked tissue from clinical cases of laminitis is needed to validate research based on experimental models of laminitis.