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. 2022 Oct 4;23(19):11780.
doi: 10.3390/ijms231911780.

Development of Two Innovative Performance-Based Objective Measures in Feline Osteoarthritis: Their Reliability and Responsiveness to Firocoxib Analgesic Treatment

Aliénor Delsart  1 , Maxim Moreau  1   2 , Colombe Otis  1 , Marilyn Frezier  1 , Marlene Drag  3 , Jean-Pierre Pelletier  2 , Johanne Martel-Pelletier  2 , Bertrand Lussier  1   2 , Jérôme Del Castillo  1 , Eric Troncy  1   2
Affiliations

Development of Two Innovative Performance-Based Objective Measures in Feline Osteoarthritis: Their Reliability and Responsiveness to Firocoxib Analgesic Treatment

Aliénor Delsart et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

The metrological properties of two performance-based outcome measures of feline osteoarthritis (OA), namely Effort Path (Path) and Stairs Assay Compliance (Stairs), were tested. Cats naturally affected by OA (n = 32) were randomly distributed into four groups (A: 0.40, B: 0.25, C: 0.15, or D: 0.00 mg firocoxib/kg bodyweight) and assessed during baseline, treatment, and recovery periods. For Path, from an elevated walking platform, the cats landed on a pressure-sensitive mattress and jumped up onto a second elevated platform. Analysis included velocity, time to completion, peak vertical force (PVF), and vertical impulse. For Stairs, the number of steps and time to completion were recorded for 16 steps up and down in a 4 min period. Reliability was moderate to very good for Path and poor to good for Stairs. Different normalization methods are described in the manuscript. The placebo group remained stable within-time in Path, whereas treated cats trotted faster on the ramp (p < 0.0001), improved their PVF (p < 0.018) and completed the task quicker (p = 0.003). The percentage of cats completing the Stairs finish line was higher under treatment (p < 0.036), with huge effect size, the placebo group results being stable within-time. Both are promising performance-based outcome measures to better diagnose and manage feline OA pain.

Keywords: feline; firocoxib; gait analysis; osteoarthritis; performance; stairs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. M.D. is a regular employee of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal health, Inc.; M.M. is regular employee of ArthroLab Inc.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Concordance plot for the PVF values obtained during the first (x axis) and second (y axis) baseline acquisition sessions for (A) the thoracic limbs and (B) the pelvic limbs. Each point corresponds to the mean of the three valid trials for one cat. A perfect concordance is reflected by a 45° slope (dotted line).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cat velocity on the platform before jumping down. p-values are adjusted using Bonferroni correction. Group A = 0.40 mg/kg, Group B = 0.25 mg/kg, Group C = 0.15 mg/kg of Firocoxib. Recov-1 and Recov-2 = first and second recovery periods.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The Finish Line completed for up (A) or down (B) passages. Group A = 0.40 mg/kg, Group B = 0.25 mg/kg, Group C = 0.15 mg/kg of Firocoxib. Recov-2 = second recovery period.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Illustration of the Effort Path. The cats walked/trotted across the walking ramp, jumped down onto a pressure-sensitive mattress and jumped up onto a raised ramp. Measurements were: (1) velocity (speed of movement across the walking platform), (2) peak vertical force (PVF), (3) vertical impulse (VI) as cats jumped down and up from the pressure sensitive mattress, and (4) the number of frames (reflecting the time to passing the pressure sensitive mattress). The entire path was enclosed by transparent plexiglass to allow cats to move naturally and undisturbed. The cats were positively motivated by rewards provided at the end of the Effort Path.
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