Blood cell deformability in horses with intestinal colic.

The research article explores the relationship between blood cell deformability and intestinal colic in horses. The study found that horses with intestinal colic experienced decreased neutrophil deformability, potentially linked to endotoxin-induced activation, which can further hinder microvascular blood flow associated with intestinal ischemia.

Participant Selection and Data Collection

• The study focused on 13 horses with intestinal colic and a control group of 6 healthy horses. All horses had been recently transported to a veterinary teaching hospital for examination.
• Blood samples were collected from each horse for analysis. The aspects monitored included blood neutrophil count, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and cell filterability.

Findings and Analysis

• On analyzing data, no significant difference was found in the blood neutrophil count or plasma fibrinogen concentration between the control group and the horses with intestinal colic.
• However, there was notable increase in PCV (packed cell volume) among horses suffering from intestinal colic, indicating possible dehydration or blood loss.
• Cell filterability, measured by passing uniform concentrations of blood, erythrocytes, and neutrophils through micropore filters, revealed significant findings. There were no discernable disparities in the filterability of erythrocytes between the two groups.
• However, significant prolongation in filterability of blood and neutrophils was observed in the group of horses with intestinal colic compared to the healthy horse group. This suggests decreased neutrophil deformability and was found to align with the severity of the illness.
• In fact, horses that did not survive the intestinal colic had significantly longer blood and neutrophil filterability compared to those that survived the intestinal colic. This indicates that the longer the neutrophils and blood took to pass through the filters, the worse the intensity of the illness, and therefore, the likelihood of survival.

Conclusions and Implications

• The study concludes that horses with intestinal colic exhibit decreased deformability of neutrophils. This is possibly due to endotoxin-induced activation which physiologically alters the neutrophils and hinders their ability to deform.
• This altered deformability can further obstruct microvascular blood flow, already disrupted due to intestinal ischemia (reduced blood flow) in horses suffering from intestinal colic. This disruption may contribute to the aggravation of the disease and affect the survival outcome.
• This research can be useful in understanding the pathophysiology of intestinal colic in horses and might aid in the future development of better diagnostic tools or treatments.