Exercise capacity is a valuable trait in horses, and it has been used as a horse selection criterion. Although exercise affects molecular homeostasis and adaptation in horses, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully described. This study was carried out to identify changes in the blood profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs induced by exercise in horse leukocytes. Total RNAs isolated from the peripheral blood leukocytes of four Warmblood horses before and after exercise were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS) and microarray analyses to determine the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles, respectively. The expressions of 6 miRNAs, including 4 known and 2 novel miRNAs, were altered by exercise. The predicted target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs identified by NGS were matched to the exercise-induced mRNAs determined by microarray analysis. Five genes (LOC100050849, LOC100054517, KHDRBS3, LOC100053996, and LOC100062720) from the microarray analysis were matched to the predicted target genes of the 6 miRNAs. The subset of mRNAs and miRNAs affected by exercise in peripheral blood leukocytes may be useful in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of exercise-associated physiology in horses.
Homeostasis ; Horses ; Leukocytes ; Microarray Analysis ; MicroRNAs ; Physiology ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger

The objective of this study was to evaluate and validate the accuracy of the Perkins handheld applanation tonometer for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in horses and cattle. Both eyes of 10 adult horses and cattle were evaluated in a postmortem study. The eyes from 10 clinically normal adult horses and cattle were also examined after bilateral auriculopalpebral nerve block and topical anesthesia for an in vivo study. IOP was measured postmortem using direct manometry (measured with an aneroid manometer) and tonometry (measured with a Perkins handheld applanation tonometer). The correlation coefficients (r2 ) for the data from the postmortem manometry and Perkins tonometer study were 0.866 for horses and 0.864 for cattle. In the in vivo study, IOP in horses was 25.1 +/- 2.9 mmHg (range 19.0~30.0 mmHg) as measured by manometry and 23.4 +/- 3.2 mmHg (range 18.6~28.4 mmHg) according to tonometry. In cattle, IOP was found to be 19.7 +/- 1.2 mmHg (range 18.0~22.0 mmHg) by manometry and 18.8 +/- 1.7 mmHg (range 15.9~20.8 mmHg) by tonometry. There was a strong correlation between the IOP values obtained by direct ocular manometry and the tonometer in both horses and cattle. Our results demonstrate that the Perkins handheld tonometer could be an additional tool for accurately measuring IOP in equine and bovine eyes.
Animals ; Cattle/*physiology ; Eye/*physiopathology ; Horses/*physiology ; Intraocular Pressure/*physiology ; Linear Models ; Manometry/instrumentation/veterinary ; Tonometry, Ocular/instrumentation/*veterinary

Prediction of potential performance is one of the goals of exercise physiology investigations. When Selecting a horse for competition, one of the main objectives is to choose the one that predictably will reveal a competitive aptitude above the average. The horses used in this study underwent a two-dimensional echocardiography study and a conventional 3 leads electrocardiogram. The results show that heart score is not an appropriate index to evaluate the heart size in the horse. On the other hand, there are currently more suitable and accurate procedures such as echocardiography that allow performing a clear anatomical evaluation and accurate measurement in order to calculate LVMM and to predict performance.
Animals ; Echocardiography/*veterinary ; Electrocardiography/*veterinary ; Female ; Heart/*physiology ; Horses/*physiology ; Male ; *Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Predictive Value of Tests

Animals ; Arteritis Virus, Equine ; chemistry ; genetics ; Horses ; Open Reading Frames ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins ; chemistry ; physiology ; Viral Structural Proteins ; chemistry ; physiology

The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vitro the effects of hydrocortisone and aminophylline on adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation in horses. Blood samples from 30 healthy Thoroughbred horses were collected by via jugular venipuncture to assess platelet aggregation. Platelet-rich and platelet-poor plasma were prepared from all samples by centrifugation and divided into three different aliquots. In the first aliquot, platelet aggregation was measured after platelet activation with 1 microM and 0.5 microM ADP (Group A). In the other two aliquots, the effect of a 10 min preincubation with hydrocortisone (Group B) or aminophylline (Group C) on ADP-induced aggregation at final ADP concentrations of 1 microM and 0.5 microM was observed. Platelet aggregation, recorded by an aggregometer, was evaluated by measuring the maximum degree of platelet aggregation and the initial velocities of platelet aggregation were obtained. Our results demonstrated the inhibitory effect of hydrocortisone and the induction effect of aminophylline on equine platelet responses in vitro.
Adenosine Diphosphate/pharmacology ; Aminophylline/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/*pharmacology ; Female ; Horses/*physiology ; Hydrocortisone/*pharmacology ; Male ; Platelet Aggregation/*drug effects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training on prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen (Fb) concentrations in horses to assess potential adaptive response to training. Fifteen clinically healthy horses were enrolled in the present study and equally divided into three groups. Group A completed an intense training program, group B participated in a light training program, and group C included sedentary horses. After 5 weeks, group B was subjected to the same training program completed by group A and renamed group B1. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture from each animal at rest and analyzed within 2 h after sampling. A two-way ANOVA for repeated measures showed a significant effect of training (p < 0.05) on Fb concentrations in group B1 alone during the first week after changing the training program. Our findings demonstrated that Fb is a parameter susceptible to training. Fb plasma levels increase with a more intense training program. However, Fb plasma levels decreased after the first week and returned to basel levels, suggesting that the horses had adapted to the new training program.
Animals ; Female ; Fibrinogen/*metabolism ; Horses/*physiology ; Male ; Partial Thromboplastin Time/*veterinary ; *Physical Conditioning, Animal ; Prothrombin Time/*veterinary

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of exercise on plasma tryptophan (TRP) and free serotonin (f5-HT), whole blood-5-HT (WB-5-HT) and f5-HT/WB-5-HT ratio in Italian Saddle horses. Six clinically healthy Italian Saddle horses were subjected to a 450 meters obstacles course. Blood samples were collected from each horse by jugular venipuncture using vacutainer tubes with K3-EDTA at rest, immediately after exercise, and after 30 min. TRP, f5-HT and WB-5-HT were analyzed by HPLC. Immediately after exercise, statistically significant increases of f5-HT (p<0.001) and WB-5-HT (p<0.001) were observed. After 30 min, f5-HT and WB-5-HT decreased compared to immediately after exercise, but were still significantly higher than rest values (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). A significant linear regression between f5-HT and WB-5-HT was observed during experimental conditions. f5-HT and WB-5-HT modifications after exercise suggest an important role of peripheral serotoninergic markers in response to physical activity. The possible source of extra serotonin detected after show jumping should be clarified by further investigation.
Animals ; Biological Markers/blood ; Female ; Horses/*blood/*metabolism ; Linear Models ; Male ; *Physical Conditioning, Animal/physiology ; Serotonin/*blood ; Tryptophan/blood

Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to differentiate into multi-lineage cells such as adipocytes, chondroblasts, and osteoblasts. Amniotic membrane from whole placenta is a good source of stem cells in humans. This membrane can potentially be used for wound healing and corneal surface reconstruction. Moreover, it can be easily obtained after delivery and is usually discarded as classified waste. In the present study, we successfully isolated and characterized equine amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eAM-MSCs) that were cultured and maintained in low glucose Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. The proliferation of eAM-MSCs was measured based on the cumulative population doubling level (CPDL). Immunophenotyping of eAM-MSCs by flow cytometry showed that the major population was of mesenchymal origin. To confirm differentiation potential, a multi-lineage differentiation assay was conducted. We found that under appropriate conditions, eAM-MSCs are capable of multi-lineage differentiation. Our results indicated that eAM-MSCs may be a good source of stem cells, making them potentially useful for veterinary regenerative medicine and cell-based therapy.
Adipogenesis ; Amnion/*cytology/physiology ; Animals ; *Cell Differentiation ; *Cell Lineage ; Cell Proliferation ; Chondrogenesis ; Female ; Flow Cytometry/veterinary ; Horses ; Immunophenotyping/veterinary ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells/*cytology/physiology ; Osteogenesis

Animals ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; immunology ; Equine Infectious Anemia ; immunology ; virology ; Horses ; Infectious Anemia Virus, Equine ; immunology ; physiology ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; physiology

Lyme disease is a tick-borne zoonotic infectious disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. The present study assessed the infection status of B. burgdorferi among horses reared in Korea using ELISA and PCR. Between 2009 and 2013, blood samples were collected from 727 horses throughout Korea. Data for each animal including age, gender, breed, and region of sample collection were used for epidemiological analysis. Overall, 38 (5.2%; true prevalence: 5.5%) of 727 horses were seropositive by ELISA. There were statistically significant differences according to breed and region (P<0.001) whose differences might be attributed to the ecology of vector ticks and climate conditions. Using 2 nested PCR, none of the samples tested positive for B. burgdorferi. Thus, a positive ELISA result can indicate only that the tested horse was previously exposed to B. burgdorferi, with no certainty over the time of exposure. Since global warming is likely to increase the abundance of ticks in Korea, continuous monitoring of tick-borne diseases in Korean horses is needed.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood ; Borrelia burgdorferi/*physiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Female ; Horse Diseases/*epidemiology ; Horses ; Lyme Disease/epidemiology/*veterinary ; Male ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology