Injecting glycosaminoglycan polysulfate directly into lesions of the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) significantly improves reorganization of the tendon’s collagen bundles during the healing process, report Brazilian veterinary researchers.

Tendon injuries are an important source of lameness and decreased performance in horses. Despite aggressive management, there is a high rate of recurrence associated with these injuries.

In the absence of universally effective therapies for tendon injuries, researchers from Barão de Mauá University Center in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, examined the effect of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (trade name Adequan) injections on the organization of collagen fibers in the superficial digital flexor tendons of horses.

They experimentally-induced tendonitis in the front left SDFT of 10 horses. After one week, the affected tendons were subsequently injected with either 1.0 mL of Adequan or saline, administered four days apart for a total of five doses. Horses in both groups were confined to stalls for 60 days then moved to restricted paddocks until 150 days after initiation of the tendonitis