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Role Of Endothelin In The Pathogenesis Of Acute Laminitis In Horses, Ashley Michelle Stokes
Role Of Endothelin In The Pathogenesis Of Acute Laminitis In Horses, Ashley Michelle Stokes
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Acute laminitis is a severely debilitating disease of the laminae of the equine digit; however, the mechanism(s) of pathogenesis have yet to be fully elucidated. In physiologic states, the endothelium synthesizes substances, such as nitric oxide (NO; vasodilator) and endothelin-1 (ET-1; profound vasoconstrictor), which play a crucial role in vasomotor regulation. The overall hypothesis is that the initiating factor in the onset of acute laminitis is a disruption in the balance between NO and ET-1, which leads to digital vasoconstriction and subsequent laminar ischemic necrosis. In vitro studies with digital vessels from healthy horses and horses with naturally-acquired laminitis determined …