Fluoroquinolone /Tendon damage- a

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a:

Here's the best description I've found describing the mechanism behind

the tendon damage from this abx class.

Barb

1: Cell Biol Toxicol. 2004 Feb;20(1):41-54.

Links

The effect of enrofloxacin on cell proliferation and proteoglycans in

horse tendon cells.Yoon JH, RL Jr, Khan A, Pan H, J,

Zhang J, Budsberg SC, Mueller PO, Halper J.

The Soft Tissue Center, Department of Pathology, College of

Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7388,

USA.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics have been used widely in humans and

domestic animals, including horses, because of their broad-spectrum

bactericidal activity, and relative safety. The use of

fluoroquinolones, however, is not without risk. Tendonitis and

spontaneous tendon rupture have been reported in people during or

following therapy with fluoroquinolones. We have studied the effects

of enrofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic used commonly in

domestic animals, on tendon cell cultures established from equine

superficial digital flexor tendons. Effects on cell proliferation and

morphology were studied using cell counting and scanning electron

microscopy. Monosaccharide content and composition was determined by

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Western and Northern

blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the synthesis and expression

of two proteoglycans, biglycan and decorin. Our data demonstrate that

enrofloxacin inhibits cell proliferation, induces morphological

changes, decreases total monosacharide content and alters small

proteoglycan synthesis at the glycosylation level in equine tendon

cell cultures. These effects are more pronounced in juvenile tendon

cells than in adult equine tendon cells. We hypothesize that

morphological changes and inhibition of cell proliferation are a

result of impaired production of biglycan and decorin, proteoglycans

involved in fibrillogenesis of collagen, the most important

structural component of the tendon of enrofloxacin-treated tendon

cells. Our findings suggest that fluoroquinolones should be used with

caution in horses, especially in foals.

PMID: 15119847 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]