Evaluation of a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect keratan sulfate in equine serum.

This study aimed to evaluate a system that identifies cartilage turn over and/or degradation through measurement of a new keratan sulfate (KS) epitope concentration in equine sera. Blood samples were collected from 30 horses, 1 (n = 15) and 2 year-olds (n = 15). Serum samples were analyzed for an epitope of keratan sulfate by 1/20/5D4 (KS5D4) and new epitopes of keratan sulfate using high sensitive keratan sulfate (HSKS), measured by two respective enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISAs). There was no correlation in serum concentration of KS evaluated using 5D4 and HSKS. Age had no significant effect on concentrations of KS measured with KS5D4 while 1 year-old horses showed significantly higher amounts than 2 year-olds with HSKS. Results suggest that HSKS could detect early signs of cartilage metabolic changes.