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Journal of equine science2025; 36(2); 45-54; doi: 10.1294/jes.36.45

Diagnostic performance of specific oxidative stress biomarkers, acute phase proteins, and certain trace elements in different severities of equine colic.

Abstract: 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 conducted to assess and compare the diagnostic performance of the analytes in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC). TNFα demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy for non-strangulating colic at a cutoff value of >24 mg/l, with 100% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and an AUC of 0.996. For strangulating colic, TNFα also exhibited the best diagnostic performance at a cutoff value of >33 mg/l, achieving 100% sensitivity and specificity with an AUC of 1.00. Haptoglobin followed with a cutoff value of >52 µg/l, showing 95% sensitivity, 75% specificity, and an AUC of 0.898. This study provides new insights into the diagnostic performance of TNFα for detecting non-strangulating colic and TNFα and haptoglobin for diagnosing strangulating intestinal conditions in horses with colic.
©2025 The Japanese Society of Equine Science.
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Publication Date: 2025-06-12 PubMed ID: 40832000PubMed Central: PMC12360160DOI: 10.1294/jes.36.45Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Research Overview

  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of several blood-based biomarkers in diagnosing and determining the severity of colic in horses.
  • It specifically measured markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and certain trace elements to distinguish between strangulating and non-strangulating colic types as well as healthy controls.

Study Design and Subjects

  • Total of 61 horses were included, separated into three groups based on colic severity:
    • Strangulating colic (SC) group: 21 horses
    • Non-strangulating colic (NC) group: 20 horses
    • Control group: 20 healthy horses without colic
  • Severity assessment involved clinical signs such as heart rate, color of oral mucous membranes, and abdominal distension.

Biomarkers Measured

  • Inflammatory marker: Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)
  • Acute phase protein: Haptoglobin (Hp)
  • Oxidative stress markers: Nitric oxide (NO), Malondialdehyde (MDA)
  • Trace elements: Zinc, Iron, Copper
  • All biomarkers were measured in serum samples collected from the horses.

Diagnostic Performance Analysis

  • Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine each biomarker’s ability to correctly identify colic and classify its severity.
  • Key ROC parameters included sensitivity (ability to detect true positives), specificity (ability to exclude false positives), and Area Under the Curve (AUC) which summarizes overall accuracy.

Key Findings: TNFα

  • TNFα showed the highest diagnostic accuracy among all biomarkers for both types of colic.
  • For non-strangulating colic (NC):
    • Cutoff value: >24 mg/l
    • Sensitivity: 100% (all true cases detected)
    • Specificity: 95% (few false positives)
    • AUC: 0.996 (near-perfect accuracy)
  • For strangulating colic (SC):
    • Cutoff value: >33 mg/l
    • Sensitivity and specificity: Both 100% (perfect detection and exclusion)
    • AUC: 1.00 (ideal diagnostic test)

Key Findings: Haptoglobin

  • Haptoglobin also showed strong diagnostic utility, particularly for strangulating colic.
  • At a cutoff of >52 µg/l, it achieved:
    • Sensitivity: 95%
    • Specificity: 75%
    • AUC: 0.898 (high accuracy but less than TNFα)

Implications and Conclusions

  • The findings suggest TNFα is an excellent biomarker for diagnosing both types of colic in horses, with near-perfect sensitivity and specificity, making it highly reliable for clinical decision-making.
  • Haptoglobin also provides valuable diagnostic information, especially in cases of strangulating colic, but is slightly less accurate than TNFα.
  • Other measured markers (NO, MDA, zinc, iron, copper) were not emphasized in the results, indicating lower diagnostic performance.
  • This research supports the potential clinical use of specific blood tests measuring TNFα and haptoglobin to improve early diagnosis and treatment strategies in equine colic.
  • Earlier and more accurate differentiation of colic severity can improve prognosis by guiding timely surgical versus medical interventions.

Cite This Article

APA
Mirzaei A, Hajimohammadi A. (2025). Diagnostic performance of specific oxidative stress biomarkers, acute phase proteins, and certain trace elements in different severities of equine colic. J Equine Sci, 36(2), 45-54. https://doi.org/10.1294/jes.36.45

Publication

Journal of equine science
ISSN: 1340-3516
NlmUniqueID: 9503751
Country: Japan
Language: English
Volume: 36
Issue: 2
Pages: 45-54

Researcher Affiliations

Mirzaei, Ahmadreza
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
Hajimohammadi, Ali
  • Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

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