Figure 1

Study design. Ten foals were allocated to two groups based on clinical and radiographic assessment: OC-free (n = 5) and OC-affected (n = 5). OC foals presented at least one talocrural lesion whereas femoropatellar joints were normal. Lesions were sampled and classified histologically. Explants comprising both cartilage and 5 mm of subchondral bone were harvested on femoropatellar joints and considered as healthy samples if retrieved from OC-free foals and as predisposed samples if retrieved from OC-affected foals. Samples were used for comparative proteomics and micro computed tomography (μCT). Tibiotarsal joint synovial fluids were also collected from OC-free and OC(D)-affected foals (affected limb and contralateral non-affected limb for foals non-bilaterally affected) and used for comparative metabolomics. Blue arrows correspond to OC-free samples, purple arrows to predisposed samples and red arrows to OC(D)-affected samples.