Effect of a tart cherry juice blend on exercise-induced muscle damage in horses.

The research investigates the potential benefit of tart cherry juice blend (TCJB) in reducing muscle damage caused by exercise in horses. The findings suggest that TCJB may help diminish muscle damage associated with exercise.

Study Objective and Methods

• The goal of the research was to examine if administering tart cherry juice blend (TCJB) before exercise could minimize skeletal and cardiac muscle damage in horses. This damage is thought to be the result of reduced inflammatory and oxidative stress responses to physical activity.
• For the study, 6 horses were used and randomly divided into two groups as part of a crossover experiment. This means that each group was given both treatments (TCJB and a placebo solution) at different times with a 2-week break or ‘washout’ period in between.
• The horses were subjected to a stepwise incremental exercise protocol after being orally provided with either TCJB or a placebo solution (1.42 L, twice a day) for two weeks.

Measurements and Tests Conducted

• To assess muscle damage, serum activities of creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were tested. Creatine kinase is an enzyme found in the brain, skeletal muscles, and heart while AST is a common enzyme in various tissues, but primarily in the liver, heart, and muscles.
• Concentrations of cardiac troponin I (cTnI; a protein that indicates heart muscle damage), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS; molecules produced when reactive oxygen species damage cells), and serum amyloid A (SAA; a protein that indicates inflammation) were also studied.
• Moreover, to make sure that the treatment would not yield positive results in any equine drug-testing protocol, the horses’ serum samples collected before and after two weeks of administration were tested for potential drugs.

Results of the Study

• All the horses had negative drug screening results at both sample times, indicating that TCJB did not contain substances that would cause a positive result in a drug screening test.
• The research found that the stepwise incremental exercise protocol led to a notable rise in TBARS concentration, SAA concentration, and serum AST activity in all the horses. This suggests that the exercise led to increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle damage, respectively.
• Neither the TCJB nor the placebo influenced malondialdehyde (a type of TBARS) or SAA concentrations.
• However, the study found that the administration of TCJB led to a substantial decline in the serum activity of AST, compared to the placebo. This indicates that TCJB might reduce muscle damage associated with exercise.

Conclusion

• The study concludes that administration of TCJB may reduce muscle damage induced by exercise, providing a potential treatment strategy to protect athletic horses from exercise-induced damage.