Antioxidant and haematological biomarkers in different groups of horses supplemented with polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E.

The research examines the effects of a supplement combination of polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E on markers of antioxidant activity and blood health in horses, both in regular care and in training. The study suggests that the supplement increases blood antioxidants in both groups, combating oxidative stress differently for both groups.

Study Design and Participants

• The study involved two groups of horses: one consisting of 6 horses under maintenance care and the other consisting of 10 horses in training.
• The researchers supplemented the horses’ diets with a mixture of polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E over a period of 8 weeks. While the amount of supplementation varied for the two groups (100 ml for maintenance horses and 300 ml for training horses), it was incorporated into the horses’ diets without increasing their caloric intake.

Methods

• Blood samples were collected at three different time points: before starting the supplementation (pretest), after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks.
• The researchers analyzed these samples for different hematological and antioxidant biomarkers. These included the red and white blood cell counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit, leucocytes, lymphocytes, platelets, measures related to red blood cell size and hemoglobin content, as well as enzymes and compounds related to antioxidant activity (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, uric acid), total plasma proteins, and creatine kinase, a marker for muscle damage.

Results

• The results showed that after the supplementation period, the horses under maintenance care showed statistically significant increases in the antioxidant-related enzyme superoxide dismutase, uric acid, along with white blood cell count, and measures related to red blood cell size variation.
• In the group of horses in training, there were increases in two antioxidant-related enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) and uric acid.
• While both groups showed increases in antioxidant biomarkers, the specific trends varied, likely due to the different physical demands on the horses in the two groups.

Conclusions

• The study provides evidence that supplementing horses’ diets with polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E increases levels of antioxidants in their blood.
• This suggests that such supplementation could help combat oxidative stress in horses, but the authors highlight that the impacts and benefits of the supplementation may differ depending on whether the horse is in regular care or in active training.