Changes in saliva biomarkers during a standardized increasing intensity field exercise test in endurance horses.
Abstract: Salivary biomarkers could be useful to evaluate stress, fitness level, and skeletal muscle damage associated to exercise in horses in an easy and non-painful way. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate if cortisol in saliva (sCor), salivary alpha-amylase (sAMY) and butyrylcholinesterase (sBChE) and lactate (sLA) and creatine kinase (sCK) in saliva of horses can show changes during a standardized exercise test, and if they are related to heart rate variability (HRV) parameters related to sympathetic and parasympathetic tone, fitness level or skeletal muscle damage. For this purpose, ten endurance horses were submitted to a standardized exercise test in field conditions. Saliva and blood were obtained at basal time (TB), after the seven bouts of velocity (T + 01 to T + 07), and 5, 15, 30, and 45 min later (T + 5, T + 15, T + 30, and T + 45). Five endurance horses in resting condition (control group) were also enrolled. HRV and fitness level parameters, and plasma CK as a marker of muscle damage were also evaluated. Salivaryalpha-amylase increased at T + 30 (P = 0.03), sBChE at T + 5 (P = 008), and sCK at T + 07 (P = 0.009) after the exercise test, with significant differences between the exercise and control groups' results. The sCor did not show significant changes during the exercise test in the exercise group but higher concentration compared to the control horses (P < 0.001) were observed. sCor, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK showed a positive correlation (r values between 0.47 and 0.64) with the sympathetic tone and a negative correlation (r values between -0.37 and -0.56) with the parasympathetic tone. In conclusion, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK showed significant increases in ten endurance horses after an increasing intensity velocity exercise. Values of sCor, sAMY, sBChE, and sCK were associated with HRV, which is used to evaluate stress, and therefore, they could be potentially used to assess the exercise-related stress after a physical effort.
Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2021-05-22 PubMed ID: 34030029DOI: 10.1016/j.animal.2021.100236Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study investigates if specific saliva biomarkers of horses change throughout a standardized exercise test, endorsing the potential use of these biomarkers as non-invasive ways to evaluate stress, fitness level, and muscle damage from exercise.
Objective and Methodology
- This research aims to evaluate changes in several salivary biomarkers, which include cortisol, alpha-amylase, butyrylcholinesterase, lactate, and creatine kinase, during a standardized exercise test on endurance horses.
- The study also investigates if these changes are related to heart rate variability, fitness level, and skeletal muscle damage.
- A total of ten horses used for endurance were subjected to a field exercise test. Saliva and blood samples were taken at various times before, during, and after the test.
- Observations from these horses were then compared to a control group consisting of five endurance horses in resting condition. Parameters like heart rate variability, fitness level, and muscle damage indicator – plasma creatine kinase – were also evaluated.
Results
- Upon analysis, it was found that salivary alpha-amylase increased 30 minutes after commencing the exercise test, salivary butyrylcholinesterase rose 5 minutes into the test, and salivary creatine kinase elevated after finishing the test.
- These changes demonstrated a substantial difference compared to the results from the control group.
- Meanwhile, salivary cortisol, another stress hormone, did not illustrate significant changes during the test in the exercising group but exhibited a higher concentration compared to the control horses.
- The four salivary markers – cortisol, alpha-amylase, butyrylcholinesterase, and creatine kinase – all demonstrated a positive correlation with sympathetic tone, a part of the nervous system responsible for the body’s response to stress.
- Conversely, these markers exhibited a negative correlation with parasympathetic tone, which brings the body back to a restful state. Correlation values ranged from 0.37 to 0.64.
Conclusion
- Salivary alpha-amylase, butyrylcholinesterase, and creatine kinase significantly increased in endurance horses post an intensity exercise, implying the potential of these markers to be used in evaluating stress-related to exercise.
- The correlation of these markers with heart rate variability suggests their usefulness in assessing the fitness level of horses and the stress they experience during physical exertion.
Cite This Article
APA
Contreras-Aguilar MD, Cerón JJ, Muñoz A, Ayala I.
(2021).
Changes in saliva biomarkers during a standardized increasing intensity field exercise test in endurance horses.
Animal, 15(6), 100236.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100236 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis of the University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), Veterinary School, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum', University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis of the University of Murcia (Interlab-UMU), Veterinary School, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum', University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
- Department of Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary School, Campus Univ Rabanales, University of Córdoba, E-14004 Córdoba, Spain.
- Department of Animal Medicine & Surgery, Veterinary School, Regional Campus of International Excellence 'Campus Mare Nostrum', University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: iayape@um.es.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomarkers
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Heart Rate
- Horses
- Hydrocortisone
- Physical Conditioning, Animal
- Saliva
Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Ake AS, Ayo JO. Effects of packing on the diurnal rhythms of respiratory and heart rates in donkeys during the hot-dry season.. J Equine Sci 2022 Dec;33(4):55-62.
- Muñoz-Prieto A, Cerón JJ, Rubio CP, Contreras-Aguilar MD, Pardo-Marín L, Ayala-de la Peña I, Martín-Cuervo M, Holm Henriksen IM, Arense-Gonzalo JJ, Tecles F, Hansen S. Evaluation of a Comprehensive Profile of Salivary Analytes for the Diagnosis of the Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome.. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 23;12(23).
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