The role of activated neutrophils in the early stage of equine laminitis

Despite ongoing research and a widening range of treatment options, laminitis remains a severely damaging condition with poorly understood pathophysiology. Results obtained from cytokine regulation studies during the last decade have highlighted the inflammatory nature of laminitis. This review will describe the role of systemic activation and local infiltration of neutrophils in laminar tissues in the induction of laminitis. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of neutrophil activation in subsequent vascular dysfunction and oxidative and proteolysis imbalances that are pathways previously implicated in laminitis. Neutrophils, by the way of their interdependent relationship with endothelial cells and keratinocytes, dramatically increase the inflammatory response culminating in the failure of the laminar dermal–epidermal interface.