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Topic:Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy is an analytical technique used to measure the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation. In equine research, spectroscopy is applied to assess various biological and chemical properties of horses. Techniques such as infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry are utilized to analyze tissues, fluids, and other biological samples. These methods provide insights into metabolic processes, nutritional status, and disease states in horses. Spectroscopy aids in the identification and quantification of biomolecules, contributing to the understanding of equine physiology and pathology. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application, methodology, and findings of spectroscopic techniques in equine science.
Correlation between capillary oxygen saturation and small intestinal wall thickness in the equine colic patient.
Veterinary record open    April 23, 2017   Volume 4, Issue 1 e000197 doi: 10.1136/vetreco-2016-000197
Mirle E, Wogatzki A, Kunzmann R, Schoenfelder AM, Litzke LF.The surgical evaluation of haemorrhagic infarcted intestine and the decision for or against bowel resection require a lot of experience and are subjective. The aim of this prospective, clinical study was to examine the correlation between oxygen saturation and small intestinal wall (IW) thickness, using two objective methods. In 22 colicky horses, the blood flow, oxygen saturation and relative amount of haemoglobin were measured intraoperatively via laser Doppler and white light spectroscopy (O2C, oxygen to see, LEA Medizintechnik) at six measuring points (MPs) in small and large intestines. F...
Time resolved calorimetry of photo-induced folding in horse heart cytochrome c at high pH.
Archives of biochemistry and biophysics    December 29, 2016   Volume 615 10-14 doi: 10.1016/j.abb.2016.12.013
Word TA, Larsen RW.Here the molar volume and enthalpy changes associated with the early events in the folding of ferrocytochrome c (Cc) at high pH have been examined using time resolved photoacoustic calorimetry (PAC). The data reveal an overall volume change of 1.3 ± 0.3 mL mol and an enthalpy change of 13 ± 7 kcal mol occurring subsequent to photodissociation of the unfolded CO bound Cc species in <∼20 ns. Two additional kinetic phases are observed that are associated with non-native His binding (ΔH and ΔV of 2 ± 4 kcal mol and -0.5 mL mol, τ ∼ 2.5 μs ) and Met binding (ΔH an...
Induced sub-lethal oxidative damage affects osmotic tolerance and cryosurvival of spermatozoa.
Reproduction, fertility, and development    October 19, 2016   Volume 29, Issue 9 1739-1750 doi: 10.1071/RD16183
Ertmer F, Oldenhof H, Schütze S, Rohn K, Wolkers WF, Sieme H.If the physiological balance between production and scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is shifted towards production of ROS this may result in accumulation of cell damage over time. In this study stallion spermatozoa were incubated with xanthine and xanthine oxidase (X-XO) to artificially generate defined levels of superoxide and hydrogen peroxide resulting in sub-lethal oxidative damage. The effects of X-XO treatment on various sperm characteristics were studied. Special emphasis was placed on sperm osmotic tolerance pre-freeze and its correlation with cryosurvival, given that cryopr...
Nitrite coordination in myoglobin.
Journal of inorganic biochemistry    October 14, 2016   Volume 166 49-54 doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2016.10.002
Ioannou A, Lambrou A, Daskalakis V, Pinakoulaki E.The coordination of nitrite in myoglobin (Mb) has been characterized by resonance Raman spectroscopy and the frequencies of the nitrite bound to the heme Fe as well to the 2-vinyl have been computed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The DFT Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis and the extensive isotope-labeling in the resonance Raman experiments indicate that NO (O1NO2) is bound to the heme Fe via O1. Based on the vibrational characterization of the reversible transition between low and high spin FeONO/2-nitrovinyl species, we suggest that the key step that triggers the spin-chan...
Room temperature fluorescence and phosphorescence study on the interactions of iodide ions with single tryptophan containing serum albumins.
Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy    June 8, 2016   Volume 169 16-24 doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2016.06.016
Gałęcki K, Kowalska-Baron A.In this study, the influence of heavy-atom perturbation, induced by the addition of iodide ions, on the fluorescence and phosphorescence decay parameters of some single tryptophan containing serum albumins isolated from: human (HSA), equine (ESA) and leporine (LSA) has been studied. The obtained results indicated that, there exist two distinct conformations of the proteins with different exposure to the quencher. In addition, the Stern-Volmer plots indicated saturation of iodide ions in the binding region. Therefore, to determine quenching parameter, we proposed alternative quenching model and...
Chondroitin sulphate glycosaminoglycans contribute to widespread inferior biomechanics in tendon after focal injury.
Journal of biomechanics    June 6, 2016   Volume 49, Issue 13 2694-2701 doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.06.006
Choi RK, Smith MM, Martin JH, Clarke JL, Dart AJ, Little CB, Clarke EC.Both mechanical and structural properties of tendon change after injury however the causal relationship between these properties is presently unclear. This study aimed to determine the extent of biomechanical change in post-injury tendon pathology and whether the sulphated glycosaminoglycans (glycosaminoglycans) present are a causal factor in these changes. Equine superficial digital flexor tendons (SDF tendons) were surgically-injured in vivo (n=6 injured, n=6 control). Six weeks later they were harvested and regionally dissected into twelve regions around the lesion (equal medial/lateral, pr...
Near Infrared Spectroscopic Mapping of Functional Properties of Equine Articular Cartilage.
Annals of biomedical engineering    May 27, 2016   Volume 44, Issue 11 3335-3345 doi: 10.1007/s10439-016-1659-6
Sarin JK, Amissah M, Brommer H, Argüelles D, Töyräs J, Afara IO.Mechanical properties of articular cartilage are vital for normal joint function, which can be severely compromised by injuries. Quantitative characterization of cartilage injuries, and evaluation of cartilage stiffness and thickness by means of conventional arthroscopy is poorly reproducible or impossible. In this study, we demonstrate the potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for predicting and mapping the functional properties of equine articular cartilage at and around lesion sites. Lesion and non-lesion areas of interests (AI, N = 44) of equine joints (N = 5) were divided into...
The study of natural and artificial radionuclides incorporation in teeth and head bones of animals lived nearby Caetité uranium mine, Brazil.
Journal of environmental radioactivity    May 20, 2016   Volume 162-163 39-44 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.04.037
Walencik-Łata A, Kozłowska B, Mietelski JW, Szufa K, Freire FD, Souza SO.This study aimed at assessing the incorporation of radionuclides in animals in the proximity of the uranium mine in Caetité, Brazil. In 2014, samples of bovine and equine teeth and skull bones were collected and their contents of natural and artificial isotopes were assessed using nuclear spectrometry techniques. Gamma ray emission from Ra and K isotopes was determined using high-purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometry, Sr radioactivity was measured with liquid scintillation, and U, Th, Po and Pu radioactivity was assessed with alpha-spectrometry. Prior to the measurements, sample dissolutions a...
Practical Considerations in Trace Element Analysis of Bone by Portable X-ray Fluorescence.
Journal of forensic sciences    April 19, 2016   Volume 61, Issue 4 1041-1045 doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13103
Byrnes JF, Bush PJ.Forensic anthropologists are more often turning to nondestructive methods to assist with skeletal analyses, specifically for trace elemental analyses. Portable XRF (pXRF) instruments are versatile and are able to be used in diverse settings or for specimens of a shape and size that cannot be accommodated by laboratory-based instruments. Use of XRF requires knowledge of analysis parameters such as X-ray penetration and exit depth. Analysis depth was determined by examining pure elements through known thicknesses of equine bone slices. Correlation between the element's X-ray emission energy and ...
Body composition assessment in horses using bioimpedance spectroscopy.
Journal of animal science    April 12, 2016   Volume 94, Issue 2 533-541 doi: 10.2527/jas.2015-9837
Ward LC, White KJ, van der Aa Kuhle K, Cawdell-Smith J, Bryden WL.Assessment of equine body composition using objective measurements is difficult owing to the large size of the animals and the costs involved. Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS), a technique widely used for the assessment of body composition in humans, was investigated for practicality of use in horses. BIS uses algorithms that require values for the apparent resistivities of body fluids and body proportion factors (Kb), currently not available for horses. Aims of the present study were to derive resistivity coefficients and body proportion factors and to validate their use for predict...
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of sperm chromatin structure and DNA stability.
Andrology    February 24, 2016   Volume 4, Issue 3 430-441 doi: 10.1111/andr.12166
Oldenhof H, Schütze S, Wolkers WF, Sieme H.Sperm chromatin structure and condensation determine accessibility for damage, and hence success of fertilization and development. The aim of this study was to reveal characteristic spectral features coinciding with abnormal sperm chromatin packing (i.e., DNA-protein interactions) and decreased fertility, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Chromatin structure in spermatozoa obtained from different stallions was investigated. Furthermore, spermatozoa were exposed to oxidative stress, or treated with thiol-oxidizing and disulfide-reducing agents, to alter chromatin structure and pack...
On the mineral core of ferritin-like proteins: structural and magnetic characterization.
Nanoscale    December 17, 2015   Volume 8, Issue 2 1088-1099 doi: 10.1039/c5nr04446d
García-Prieto A, Alonso J, Muñoz D, Marcano L, Abad Díaz de Cerio A, Fernández de Luis R, Orue I, Mathon O, Muela A, Fdez-Gubieda ML.It is generally accepted that the mineral core synthesized by ferritin-like proteins consists of a ferric oxy-hydroxide mineral similar to ferrihydrite in the case of horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) and an oxy-hydroxide-phosphate phase in plant and prokaryotic ferritins. The structure reflects a dynamic process of deposition and dissolution, influenced by different biological, chemical and physical variables. In this work we shed light on this matter by combining a structural (High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and Fe K-edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS)) and a magneti...
Conventional, Bayesian, and Modified Prony’s methods for characterizing fast and slow waves in equine cancellous bone.
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America    September 4, 2015   Volume 138, Issue 2 594-604 doi: 10.1121/1.4923366
Groopman AM, Katz JI, Holland MR, Fujita F, Matsukawa M, Mizuno K, Wear KA, Miller JG.Conventional, Bayesian, and the modified least-squares Prony's plus curve-fitting (MLSP + CF) methods were applied to data acquired using 1 MHz center frequency, broadband transducers on a single equine cancellous bone specimen that was systematically shortened from 11.8 mm down to 0.5 mm for a total of 24 sample thicknesses. Due to overlapping fast and slow waves, conventional analysis methods were restricted to data from sample thicknesses ranging from 11.8 mm to 6.0 mm. In contrast, Bayesian and MLSP + CF methods successfully separated fast and slow waves and provided reli...
Energetics of endurance exercise in young horses determined by nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics.
Frontiers in physiology    July 15, 2015   Volume 6 198 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00198
Luck MM, Le Moyec L, Barrey E, Triba MN, Bouchemal N, Savarin P, Robert C.Long-term endurance exercise severely affects metabolism in both human and animal athletes resulting in serious risk of metabolic disorders during or after competition. Young horses (up to 6 years old) can compete in races up to 90 km despite limited scientific knowledge of energetic metabolism responses to long distance exercise in these animals. The hypothesis of this study was that there would be a strong effect of endurance exercise on the metabolomic profiles of young horses and that the energetic metabolism response in young horses would be different from that of more experienced horses....
Reproducible and label-free biosensor for the selective extraction and rapid detection of proteins in biological fluids.
Journal of nanobiotechnology    June 24, 2015   Volume 13 43 doi: 10.1186/s12951-015-0102-8
Sivanesan A, Izake EL, Agoston R, Ayoko GA, Sillence M.Erythropoietin (EPO), a glycoprotein hormone of ∼ 34 kDa, is an important hematopoietic growth factor, mainly produced in the kidney and controls the number of red blood cells circulating in the blood stream. Sensitive and rapid recombinant human EPO (rHuEPO) detection tools that improve on the current laborious EPO detection techniques are in high demand for both clinical and sports industry. A sensitive aptamer-functionalized biosensor (aptasensor) has been developed by controlled growth of gold nanostructures (AuNS) over a gold substrate (pAu/AuNS). The aptasensor selectively binds to rHu...
Estimation of articular cartilage properties using multivariate analysis of optical coherence tomography signal.
Osteoarthritis and cartilage    June 6, 2015   Volume 23, Issue 12 2206-2213 doi: 10.1016/j.joca.2015.05.034
Puhakka PH, Te Moller NCR, Afara IO, Mäkelä JTA, Tiitu V, Korhonen RK, Brommer H, Virén T, Jurvelin JS, Töyräs J.The aim was to investigate the applicability of multivariate analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) information for determining structural integrity, composition and mechanical properties of articular cartilage. Methods: Equine osteochondral samples (N = 65) were imaged with OCT, and their total attenuation and backscattering coefficients (μt and μb) were measured. Subsequently, the Mankin score, optical density (OD) describing the fixed charge density, light absorbance in amide I region (Aamide), collagen orientation, permeability, fibril network modulus (Ef) and non-fibrillar mat...
Species-specific effects on non-enzymatic metmyoglobin reduction in vitro.
Meat science    March 19, 2015   Volume 105 108-113 doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2015.03.010
Elroy NN, Rogers J, Mafi GG, VanOverbeke DL, Hartson SD, Ramanathan R.Our objectives were to determine the non-enzymatic metmyoglobin reduction properties of bovine, porcine, and equine myoglobins and to characterize the effects of pre-incubation of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) with myoglobins on non-enzymatic metmyoglobin reduction in vitro. Purified bovine, porcine, and equine metmyoglobins (0.05 mM) were reduced at pH 5.6 and 7.4 in the presence or absence of HNE. Rates of metmyoglobin reduction were monitored by spectrophotometry, and myoglobin adducts were characterized by high-resolution mass-spectrometry. Results showed that the species origins of individual...
Solution structure and functional studies of the highly potent equine antimicrobial peptide DEFA1.
Biochemical and biophysical research communications    March 11, 2015   Volume 459, Issue 4 668-672 doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2015.02.168
Michalek M, Jung S, Shomali MR, Cauchard S, Sönnichsen FD, Grötzinger J.Defensins are small effector molecules of the innate immune system that are present in almost all organisms including plants and animals. These peptides possess antimicrobial activity against a broad range of microbes including bacteria, fungi and viruses and act as endogenous antibiotics. α-Defensins are a subfamily of the defensin family and their expression is limited to specific tissues. Equine DEFA1 is an enteric α-defensin exclusively secreted by Paneth cells and shows an activity against a broad spectrum of microbes, including typical pathogens of the horse such as Rhodococcus equi, v...
Dominant components of the Thoroughbred metabolome characterised by (1) H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: A metabolite atlas of common biofluids.
Equine veterinary journal    January 28, 2015   Volume 47, Issue 6 721-730 doi: 10.1111/evj.12333
Escalona EE, Leng J, Dona AC, Merrifield CA, Holmes E, Proudman CJ, Swann JR.Metabonomics is emerging as a powerful tool for disease screening and investigating mammalian metabolism. This study aims to create a metabolic framework by producing a preliminary reference guide for the normal equine metabolic milieu. Objective: To metabolically profile plasma, urine and faecal water from healthy racehorses using high resolution (1) H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and to provide a list of dominant metabolites present in each biofluid for the benefit of future research in this area. Methods: This study was performed using 7 Thoroughbreds in race training at a ...
Use of micro-lightguide spectrophotometry for evaluation of microcirculation in the small and large intestines of horses without gastrointestinal disease.
American journal of veterinary research    October 29, 2014   Volume 75, Issue 11 990-996 doi: 10.2460/ajvr.75.11.990
Reichert C, Kästner SB, Hopster K, Rohn K, Rötting AK.To evaluate the use of a micro-lightguide tissue spectrophotometer for measurement of tissue oxygenation and blood flow in the small and large intestines of horses under anesthesia. Methods: 13 adult horses without gastrointestinal disease. Methods: Horses were anesthetized and placed in dorsal recumbency. Ventral midline laparotomy was performed. Intestinal segments were exteriorized to obtain measurements. Spectrophotometric measurements of tissue oxygenation and regional blood flow of the jejunum and pelvic flexure were obtained under various conditions that were considered to have a potent...
Ultrashort cationic naphthalene-derived self-assembled peptides as antimicrobial nanomaterials.
Biomacromolecules    August 7, 2014   Volume 15, Issue 9 3429-3439 doi: 10.1021/bm500981y
Laverty G, McCloskey AP, Gilmore BF, Jones DS, Zhou J, Xu B.Self-assembling dipeptides conjugated to naphthalene show considerable promise as nanomaterial structures, biomaterials, and drug delivery devices. Biomaterial infections are responsible for high rates of patient mortality and morbidity. The presence of biofilm bacteria, which thrive on implant surfaces, are a huge burden on healthcare budgets, as they are highly resistant to current therapeutic strategies. Ultrashort cationic self-assembled peptides represent a highly innovative and cost-effective strategy to form antibacterial nanomaterials. Lysine conjugated variants display the greatest po...
Antioxidant activity of hyaluronic acid investigated by means of chemiluminescence of equine neutrophil bursts and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Journal of veterinary pharmacology and therapeutics    July 28, 2014   Volume 38, Issue 1 48-54 doi: 10.1111/jvp.12141
Braga PC, Dal Sasso M, Lattuada N, Greco V, Sibilia V, Zucca E, Stucchi L, Ferro E, Ferrucci F.Activated neutrophils (PMNs), the ROS/RNS released by PMNs and the derived inflammatory processes are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of human inflammatory airway diseases. Similar diseases are also present in horses which suffer from recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) and inflammatory airway diseases (IAD). Hyaluronic acid (HA) plays numerous roles in modulating inflammatory processes. The aim of this study was to examine whether a preparation of HA (MW 900 000 Da) interferes with ROS/RNS during the course of equine PMN respiratory b...
Bovine and equine peritubular and intertubular dentin.
Acta biomaterialia    June 6, 2014   Volume 10, Issue 9 3969-3977 doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2014.05.027
Stock SR, Deymier-Black AC, Veis A, Telser A, Lux E, Cai Z.Dentin contains 1-2μm diameter tubules extending from the pulp cavity to near the junction with enamel. Peritubular dentin (PTD) borders the tubule lumens and is surrounded by intertubular dentin (ITD). Differences in PTD and ITD composition and microstructure remain poorly understood. Here, a (∼200nm)(2), 10.1keV synchrotron X-ray beam maps X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction simultaneously around tubules in 15-30μm thick bovine and equine specimens. Increased Ca fluorescence surrounding tubule lumens confirms that PTD is present, and the relative intensities in PTD and ITD correspon...
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography evaluation of the cornea, retina, and optic nerve in normal horses.
Veterinary ophthalmology    May 14, 2014   Volume 17 Suppl 1 140-148 doi: 10.1111/vop.12180
Pinto NI, Gilger BC.To determine the feasibility of using a handheld spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) instrument to characterize normal corneal, retinal, and optic nerve head anatomy in vivo in standing horses. Methods: Clinically normal horses under sedation, palpebral nerve blockage, and pharmacologically induced mydriasis were imaged with a SD-OCT instrument (Envisu SD-OCT, Bioptigen, Inc., Morrisville, NC). Radial volumes from the cornea (axial, superior, inferior, nasal, and temporal), and rectangular volumes from the retina (dorsal, ventral, nasal, and temporal) and optic nerve head wer...
Protein catabolism and high lipid metabolism associated with long-distance exercise are revealed by plasma NMR metabolomics in endurance horses.
PloS one    March 21, 2014   Volume 9, Issue 3 e90730 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090730
Le Moyec L, Robert C, Triba MN, Billat VL, Mata X, Schibler L, Barrey E.During long distance endurance races, horses undergo high physiological and metabolic stresses. The adaptation processes involve the modulation of the energetic pathways in order to meet the energy demand. The aims were to evaluate the effects of long endurance exercise on the plasma metabolomic profiles and to investigate the relationships with the individual horse performances. The metabolomic profiles of the horses were analyzed using the non-dedicated methodology, NMR spectroscopy and statistical multivariate analysis. The advantage of this method is to investigate several metabolomic path...
Controlled nail delivery of a novel lipophilic antifungal agent using various modern drug carrier systems as well as in vitro and ex vivo model systems.
Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society    February 18, 2014   Volume 180 60-70 doi: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2014.02.013
Naumann S, Meyer JP, Kiesow A, Mrestani Y, Wohlrab J, Neubert RH.The penetration behavior into human nails and animal hoof membranes of a novel antifungal agent (EV-086K) for the treatment of onychomycosis was investigated in this study. The new drug provides a high lipophilicity which is adverse for penetration into nails. Therefore, four different formulations were developed, with particular focus on a colloidal carrier system (CCS) due to its penetration enhancing properties. On the one hand, ex vivo penetration experiments on human nails were performed. Afterwards the human nail plates were cut by cryomicrotome in order to quantify the drug concentratio...
Biological application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique for determination of trace elements in hair.
Talanta    September 7, 2013   Volume 117 176-183 doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2013.08.043
Emara EM, Imam H, Hassan MA, Elnaby SH.Analysis of trace elements in mammalian hair has the potential to reveal retrospective information about an individual's nutritional status and exposure. As trace elements are incorporated into the hair during the growth process, longitudinal segments of the hair may reflect the body burden during growth. Using LIBS technique, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, Pb and Zn were detected in a single strand of horse hair. The results obtained through LIBS technique on hair samples were compared with the traditional technique (AAS) on digested acidified solution of the same samples. The effects of the experime...
A spectroscopic study of uranyl-cytochrome b5/cytochrome c interactions.
Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy    September 3, 2013   Volume 118 130-137 doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2013.08.112
Sun MH, Liu SQ, Du KJ, Nie CM, Lin YW.Uranium is harmful to human health due to its radiation damage and the ability of uranyl ion (UO2(2+)) to interact with various proteins and disturb their biological functions. Cytochrome b5 (cyt b5) is a highly negatively charged heme protein and plays a key role in mediating cytochrome c (cyt c) signaling in apoptosis by forming a dynamic cyt b5-cyt c complex. In previous molecular modeling study in combination with UV-Vis studies, we found that UO2(2+) is capable of binding to cyt b5 at surface residues, Glu37 and Glu43. In this study, we further investigated the structural consequences of ...
Mining the brain metabolome to understand behavioural disruptions induced in mouse fed Hypochoeris radicata (L.), a neurotoxic plant for horse.
Neurotoxicology    June 28, 2013   Volume 38 74-83 doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2013.06.005
Domange C, Schroeder H, Violle N, Peiffer J, Canlet C, Paris A, Priymenko N.Mining the brain metabolome to understand behavioural disruptions induced in mouse fed Hypochoeris radicata (L.), a neurotoxic plant for horse. C57BL/6J mice orally exposed to 9% H. radicata (HR) are metabolically competent laboratory animals which can be used as model of Australian stringhalt, a neurological horse disease induced by HR ingestion. So, the present study was conducted to assess the brain metabolome and the behavioural performances of mice fed with a 9%-HR-based diet for 21 days. By the end of the period of exposure, mice were investigated for motor activity and coordination, anx...
The structure of latherin, a surfactant allergen protein from horse sweat and saliva.
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface    June 19, 2013   Volume 10, Issue 85 20130453 doi: 10.1098/rsif.2013.0453
Vance SJ, McDonald RE, Cooper A, Smith BO, Kennedy MW.Latherin is a highly surface-active allergen protein found in the sweat and saliva of horses and other equids. Its surfactant activity is intrinsic to the protein in its native form, and is manifest without associated lipids or glycosylation. Latherin probably functions as a wetting agent in evaporative cooling in horses, but it may also assist in mastication of fibrous food as well as inhibition of microbial biofilms. It is a member of the PLUNC family of proteins abundant in the oral cavity and saliva of mammals, one of which has also been shown to be a surfactant and capable of disrupting m...