Topic:Zinc
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that plays a critical role in numerous physiological processes in horses, including immune function, enzyme activity, and cellular repair. It is a vital component of various enzymes and proteins, contributing to antioxidant defenses and the maintenance of skin integrity. Adequate zinc levels are important for optimal growth, reproduction, and overall health in equines. Horses typically obtain zinc through their diet, with absorption occurring primarily in the small intestine. Deficiencies or imbalances can lead to clinical signs such as poor coat condition, delayed wound healing, and impaired immune response. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the dietary requirements, absorption mechanisms, and clinical implications of zinc in equine nutrition and health management.
Topical treatment of equine aural plaques with nitric acid and zinc solution. Equine aural plaque caused by equine papilloma viruses is common worldwide and affected horses can show severe clinical signs. Due to its viral aetiology, in some countries affected horses are not allowed to compete. Since lesions persist, showing no spontaneous regression, effective and safe treatment is required. Currently, the only treatment with consistent efficacy is imiquimod. Treatment time is prolonged and adverse effects are common. In humans, papilloma warts are successfully and safely treated with topical nitric-zinc complex solutions inducing a painless caustic effect. Objective: T...
Reference intervals for serum macro- and microminerals in clinically healthy horses in Northwestern Spain: Influence of age, sex, breed and diet. Serum mineral concentrations are key indicators of nutritional status, metabolic function and health in horses; however, contemporary reference intervals (RI) derived from large, well-characterised populations remain scarce. Objective: To establish serum RI for macro- and microminerals in clinically healthy horses in Northwestern Spain and to evaluate the influence of sex, age, breed and diet on mineral status. Methods: Blood samples were collected from clinically healthy horses (n = 211), and serum concentrations of essential macrominerals (calcium [Ca]; phosphorous [P]; magnesium [Mg]; sodiu...
The horse gut microbiota genome represents a vast novel reservoir of CAZymes. Herbivores represent crucial subjects for mining highly efficient carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) from gut microbiomes. Here, we analyzed 12,763 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from the horse gut, revealing that its microbial community as a rich reservoir of CAZymes diversity, with 5,204,848 glycoside hydrolases (GHs) and 4,596,191 glycosyl transferases (GTs) identified. Our findings demonstrate that Bacteroidota (5,479,287 CAZymes) and Bacillota_A (2,987,684 CAZymes) serve as the primary functional phyla for plant polysaccharide degradation. A total of 17,250 polysaccharide utilizat...
Comparison of the Level of Mineral Components in the Hoof Wall of Pure-Breed Arabian Horses and Polish Sport Horses. Research on the characteristics of the mineral profile of hooves can help prevent overgrowth or micro-cracks. Knowledge about the interaction of these elements shows how imbalances can lead to hoof pathology or suboptimal hoof quality. Sulphur plays a key role in keratin synthesis, contributing to hoof elasticity and strength. Iron is involved in oxygen transport to the hoof matrix cells, supporting proper metabolism and tissue regeneration. Zinc promotes keratinocyte differentiation and accelerates healing of micro-injuries within the horn structure. Copper is essential for the formation of d...
Does the Relationship Between Microelements (Copper, Zinc and Selenium) and Proinflammatory Proteins (IL-6, IL-8 and Tissue Factor) Have Diagnostic Value in Equine Medicine? Some correlations between serum Cu, Zn and Se and cytokines have been reported in humans. Especially, the Cu:Zn ratio corresponded with inflammation. To date, relationships between microelements and proinflammatory proteins are poorly understood in horses. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether Cu, Zn and Se may influence turnover of IL-6, IL-8 and tissue factor (TF) in breeding and working horses. Blood samples obtained from 66 horses were analysed. There were 37 pregnant broodmares of different breeds, 13 barren broodmares and 16 race Thoroughbred horses. Serum Cu, Zn and Se concentrat...
Diagnostic performance of specific oxidative stress biomarkers, acute phase proteins, and certain trace elements in different severities of equine colic. Sixty-one horses were included in this study and classified into three groups based on the severity of colic, assessed by heart rate, oral mucous membrane color, and abdominal distension. The groups consisted of a strangulating colic (SC) group (n=21), a non-strangulating colic (NC) group (n=20), and a control group (n=20) of randomly selected healthy horses without colic. Serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), haptoglobin (Hp), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), zinc, iron, and copper were measured in all horses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was c...
Cryoprotective effect of zinc and gold nanoparticles during cooling and freeze-thawing on Marwari stallion sperm parameters and reactive oxygen species production. Sperm cryopreservation is one of the most important procedures in the development of biotechnologies for assisted reproduction. Cryopreservation of stallion spermatozoa tends to cause plasma membrane damage due to the low ratio of cholesterol to phospholipids. Different substances and compounds can be added to semen extenders to improve sperm quality. Objective: To investigate the effect of supplementing semen extender with zinc nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on cooled and frozen-thawed spermatozoa of Marwari stallion. Methods: A total of 20 ejaculates from four Marwari ...
Essential and risk elements in horses affect haematology, serum biochemistry and oxidative status parameters. The abundance of chemical elements in the blood of horses can indicate the physiological balance, health of animal as well as can be taken as an indicator of environmental pollution. The aim of this work was to analyse haematological, biochemical parameters, TOS, FRAP, SOD, Gpx, TAS and their correlations with concentrations of essential and risk elements in blood of horses stabled in two different locations: The National Stud Farm Topoľčianky (n = 11; 11 stallions, consisting of the breeds 6 Lipizzan, 3 Slovak warmblood, 2 Holsteiner) and Experimental Centre at Institute of Animal Husba...
Hair and Blood Trace Elements (Cadmium, Zinc, Chrome, Lead, Iron and Copper) Biomonitoring in the Athletic Horse: The Potential Role of Haematological Parameters as Biomarkers. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Chrome (Cr), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe) and Copper (Cu), in the blood, serum, tail and mane of horses from the industrialized area of Milazzo (Messina, Sicily), to understand the relationships between haematological parameters: Red Blood Cells (RBCs), White Blood Cells (WBCs), Haemoglobin (Hb), Haematocrit (Hct), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Platelets (PLTs) and the concentrations of trace elements. Blood and hair ...
Measurement of Trace Elements (Zinc, Copper, Magnesium, and Iron) in the Saliva of Horses: Validation Data and Changes in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the possible use of spectrophotometric assays for the measurement of trace elements, including Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe) in the saliva of horses and study their possible changes in equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). EGUS is a highly prevalent disease, with a current high incidence due to the increase in intensive management conditions. There are two EGUS diseases: equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), which can appear individually or together. For this purpose, automated spe...
Serum concentrations of selenium, copper, and zinc in neonatal foals: Influence of failure of passive transfer and age-related changes. An adequate supply of trace elements is very important for equine neonates, as deficiencies can lead to health problems and even death. Unassigned: This study investigated serum concentrations of selenium (Se), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in neonatal foals up to the 8th day of life. The influences of disease, age, and failure of passive transfer (FPT) on these concentrations were analyzed. Unassigned: Serum concentrations of Se, Cu, and Zn were determined from blood samples of 93 foals by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The foals were divided into 2 groups based on health...
Blood-based assessment of oxidative stress, inflammation, endocrine and metabolic adaptations in eventing horses accounting for plasma volume shift after exercise. After submaximal exercise, blood values of eventing horses show physiological reactions. This prospective longitudinal study investigated blood parameters in 20 elite eventing horses before and after two-four-star cross-country rides. Using a mixed model adjusting for plasma volume shift, we assessed exercise-dependent parameters and compared blood values with reference ranges for healthy horses at rest. Following exercise, cortisol, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) showed short-term increases, and superoxide-dismutase showed a small short-term increase. Hepatic values showed short-ter...
Blood and hoof biodistibution of some trace element (Lithium, Copper, Zinc, Strontium and, Lead) in horse from two different areas of Sicily. Biological monitoring of trace element horses is a well-known tool for investigating potential bioaccumulation in urbanized and industrialized geographical areas. Some biomaterials such as hoof are considered as an important indicator of environmental pollution. Hooves can store trace elements for a long time compared to blood and this represents a scientific key to long-term monitoring of exposure to environmental pollutants. In the present study, samples of equine hoof and blood were taken from an experimental group of horses living in an industrialized area of Sicily (Italy) and from a cont...
Association of the severity of colic in horses with oxidative stress biomarkers, acute-phase proteins, and certain trace elements. Sixty-one horses were enrolled in this study and divided into 3 different groups according to their severity of colic (heart rate, oral mucous membrane color, and abdominal distention): a strangulating colic (SC) group (n=21), non-strangulating colic (NC) group (n=20), and control group (n=20) consisting of randomly selected normal horses without signs of colic. The serum concentrations of haptoglobin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), zinc, iron, and copper were evaluated in all horses. The average concentration of TNFα in the SC group was higher tha...
Evaluation of chemical castration using intra-testicular injection of zinc gluconate into the testis of the male donkey versus surgical castration: antimullerian hormone as an endpoint marker. Chemical castration of male animals is an alternative to surgical castration for inducing azoospermia, consequent sterility. Intra-testicular injection of zinc gluconate has been used for chemical castration in several animal species. However, its application to equine species, such as donkeys, has yet to be reported. This study aimed to evaluate the use of zinc gluconate for the chemical castration of male donkeys and to compare its effectiveness relative to routine surgical castration. For this purpose, investigations of serum testosterone and anti-Müllerian hormone levels, testicular ultra...
Reference intervals for trace mineral and heavy metal concentrations in horse livers in the Netherlands. We determined reference intervals (RIs) for concentrations of trace minerals and toxic elements based on liver samples from 122 apparently healthy horses at 2 slaughter facilities in the Netherlands. Samples were collected during the spring and fall of 2021, and the sex and age of the horses were registered upon sampling. Concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, vanadium, and zinc were measured in liver samples using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after nitric acid digestion. RIs were calculated us...
Relationship Between Selenium, Copper, Zinc and Their Biomarkers in Blood and Skeletal Muscle Tissue in Adult Horses From Southern Chile. Microminerals are necessary for all bodily functions. In animal species, selenium (Se), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) all form part of antioxidant enzymes. Micromineral deficiencies, particularly Se, are well recognized in large animal species in Chile. Glutathion peroxidase (GPx) is a widely used biomarker for Se nutritional status and to diagnose Se deficiency in horses. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) is a Cu and Zn-dependant antioxidant enzyme, although it is not commonly used as a proxy for the nutritional status of these minerals. Ceruloplasmin (CP) is used as a biomarker of Cu nutritional status...
Study of Pansalt® or Laminaria Ochroleuca seaweed powder as potential NaCl replacers in dry-cured foal “cecina”. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the total or partial replacement of NaCl by a commercial low-salt mixture Pansalt® (T1) or Kombu (L. ochroleuca) seaweed powder (T2), respectively, on the quality properties of dry-cured foal "cecina". Salt reformulation unaffected fat percentages, decreased (P < 0.001) moisture and ash contents, while protein amounts increased (P < 0.001) in the T2 batch. Considering the physicochemical variables, any significant differences were observed among batches, except for a*, water activity, and springiness values. T1 and T2 samples presented a si...
[The content of zinc and selenium in local food products of Yakutia]. Deficiency of the necessary complex of micronutrients under abnormal nutrition structure creates a problem for the preservation of health and performance of the population. In this regard, it is very relevant to develop a science-based strategy for the consumption of traditional Yakut national food that have a high nutritional value and are able to satisfy the requirements of the human body in micronutrients. of the research was to investigate the content of selenium and zinc in the local foods which are most commonly consumed by the population of Yakutia. . The objects of study were meat (7-...
Concentration of mineral and heavy metals in raw mare (horse) milk consumed in Yazd, Iran: A risk assessment study. In recent years, the mare's milk has been introduced as a rich source of nutrients with hypoallergic characteristics which is widely used for Iranian infants. The present study aimed to investigate the heavy metal concentration of mare's milk and its consumption risk assessment. About 88 mare's milk was collected from Yazd, the centre of Iran, during the summer of 2020. The raw mare's milk was digested and analysed for mineral and heavy metal content (As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb and Zn) by ICP-OES. To estimate the health hazard for consumers the Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Haza...
Zinc Status of Horses and Ponies: Relevance of Health, Horse Type, Sex, Age, and Test Material. Little is known about the animal- and diet-related factors that could interfere with the plasma zinc (Zn) concentrations of equines. Additionally, the adequacy of plasma to reflect changes in the Zn intake is unclear. In the first part of this study, the plasma Zn concentrations of hospitalized horses and ponies ( = 538) were measured and evaluated for the impact of the age, sex, horse type, and internal diseases of the animals. In the second part, the effects of increasing dietary Zn chloride hydroxide and Zn methionine supplementations were assessed on the plasma and mane hair Zn concentrati...
Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH): microspatial distribution of trace elements in hypercementosis-affected and unaffected hard dental tissues. Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a common, painful and poorly understood disease. Enamel, dentin and cementum accumulate both essential and toxic trace elements during mineralization. Characterization of the spatial accumulation pattern of trace elements may provide insight into the role that toxic elements play and inform biological processes affecting these hard dental tissues for future research. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to map the distribution of multiple trace elements and heavy metals across equin...
Milk from Halari Donkey Breed: Nutritional Analysis, Vitamins, Minerals, and Amino Acids Profiling. This current research set out to characterize Halari donkey milk by investigating its nutritional constituents, including its proximate analysis, water activity, titratable acidity, energy, and microbiological analysis. A comprehensive profiling of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids was also carried out. It was found that the composition of Halari donkey milk was consistent with previously published donkey milk literature and was comparable to that of human milk. Halari donkey milk has low 0.86 ± 0.04% fat content, 2.03 ± 0.03% protein content, 0.51 ± 0.05% ash content, and high 5.75 ± 0....
Effects of dietary zinc chloride hydroxide and zinc methionine on the immune system and blood profile of healthy adult horses and ponies. The effects of dietary zinc on the immune function of equines have not been evaluated in detail so far. In the present study, eight healthy adult ponies and two healthy adult horses were fed a diet supplemented with either zinc chloride hydroxide or zinc methionine in six feeding periods of four weeks each (according to maintenance zinc requirement, 120 mg zinc/kg dry matter, and 240 mg zinc/kg dry matter, for both dietary zinc supplements, respectively). All animals received the six diets, with increasing amounts of zinc chloride hydroxide in the feeding periods 1-3, and with increasing a...
Staphylococcus aureus in Horses in Nigeria: Occurrence, Antimicrobial, Methicillin and Heavy Metal Resistance and Virulence Potentials. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from a total of 360 nasal and groin skin swabs from 180 systematic randomly-selected horses slaughtered for meat at Obollo-Afor, Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria and antimicrobial, methicillin and heavy metal resistance profile and virulence potentials of the isolates established. Baird-Parker agar with egg yolk tellurite was used for S. aureus isolation. S. aureus isolates were confirmed biochemically and serologically using a specific S. aureus Staphytect Plus™ latex agglutination test kit. The antimicrobial resistance profile, methicillin, vancomycin and i...
Relation of seminal plasma trace mineral in the Arabian stallion’s semen with the semen characteristics and subsequent fertility. Seminal plasma contains several microelements like Zn, Fe, Se, and Cu that affect sperm motility and male fertility. Biochemical evaluation of seminal plasma trace elements is important for assessing fertility and diagnosing male infertility. Unassigned: The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of seminal fluid trace elements on sperm parameters and fertility in Arabian horses. Unassigned: Ninety-four ejaculates from 25 Arabian stallions (4-27 years old) were used to investigate the effect of seminal fluid trace elements on semen parameters and fertility. Data divided according to...
Seasonal Changes in Trace-Element Content in the Coat of Hucul Horses. The purpose of the study was to evaluate seasonal changes in selected trace elements such as Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, and Al in the coat of healthy Hucul horses kept in south-eastern Poland in two different facilities and fed with locally sourced feed. The coat for the study was collected from 24 individuals in autumn, winter, and spring. The concentration of elements in the feed was also determined. The date of collection had a significant effect on the concentration of the micronutrients analysed in the coat of Hucul horses. The highest concentration of Zn was found in the coat taken in summer. The c...
Evaluation of hair analysis for determination of trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals in horses in the Netherlands. Analysis of hair to gain insight into the trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals of horses is attractive because hair is an easily accessible sample material. To investigate the potential value of hair analysis in horses for determination of trace mineral and heavy metal concentrations, we analyzed mane hair and liver samples from 62 horses presented for slaughter at a facility in the Netherlands that receives horses from all regions of the country. Hair samples were cleaned in warm water. After acid digestion of hair and liver specimens, we quantified, with inductively couple...
Causative mechanisms and functional correlates of MTT reduction in stallion spermatozoa. MTT is a commonly used cell vitality probe, due to its ability to form insoluble formazan deposits at cellular locations of intense oxidoreductase activity. Although this response is considered a reflection of mitochondrial redox activity, extra-mitochondrial sites of MTT reduction have been recognized within the spermatozoa of several mammalian species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the major sites and causative mechanisms of MTT reduction in stallion spermatozoa. Our results show that stallion spermatozoa displayed substantial mitochondrial formazan deposition, as well as...
Influences of the Seasons of the Year and Physiographic Regions on the Levels of Calcium, Copper and Zinc in the Hoof Capsule of Foals Pre- and Postweaning Raised in Native Pasture. This study evaluated the levels of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in the hoof of Criollo foals, pre- and postweaning, correlating them with the concentrations of these inorganic chemical compounds in soil and pasture in the different seasons of the year. We used 41 preweaning foals and 28 postweaning foals. Seventeen forage samples were collected in four seasons, later 10 soil samples per property in five distinct physiographic regions (Santa Maria, Dilermando de Aguiar, Jaguarão, Arroio Grande and Pelotas). There was variability in Ca, Cu and Zn concentrations in the hoof foal betwe...