Swedish researchers have successfully cured arthritic horses of their lameness, providing insights into potential human treatments.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease that affects both humans and animals, including horses, where the joint cartilage breaks down, leading to stiffness and pain.

A team at the University of Gothenburg and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) used a combination of an anaesthetic drug and anti-inflammatory drug, plus glucose, to restore the cartilage cells of horses with OA.

The approach, previously developed using cell culture studies, was able to rebuild cartilage tissue and reduce inflammation in the animals.

Eva Skiöldebrand, at SLU, said: “Horses and humans are genetically very similar. Horses develop OA spontaneously, thus making it an excellent study and translation to explore and develop therapeutics for human OA.”