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Scientists Examine New Joint Disease Evaluation Method

February 22, 2008
Posted by Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

Danish researchers have been investigating a novel technique for evaluating joint disease. This involves the serial evaluation of cartilage-derived retinoic acid protein (CD-RAP) levels in individual horses as a measure of cartilage synthesis

Topics: Arthritis & Degenerative Joint Disease, Article

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Sensitive and specific tests are urgently needed in both human and veterinary medicine to detect early changes in joint cartilage. One way researchers are doing this is by identifying specific "markers" found in synovial fluid, serum (blood), and urine.

CD-RAP is the latest molecule to be studied as a potential "marker" for joint disease in horses, according to a study out of the University of Copenhagen.

In this inaugural study of CD-RAP in horses, the researchers used a commercial test kit to detect the potential marker in all of the horses in the study, but they noted large intra- and inter-assay variations in CD-RAP concentrations (14.0 to 45.5%)

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.