Effect of age on liver enzyme activities in serum of healthy quarter horses.

The research study investigates how age impacts liver enzyme activities in the blood serum of healthy Quarter Horses. It found that liver enzyme levels were significantly higher in foals, which may suggest a physiological variation between young and adult horses.

Objective of the Study

• This study aimed to examine the impact of age on liver enzyme activities in the blood serum of clinically healthy Quarter Horses of different ages (specifically, foals, yearlings, and two-year-old horses).

Research Methodology

• The researchers measured five specific enzyme activities – alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), 5’nucleotidase (5’NT), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), and aspartate transaminase in 10 foals, 10 yearlings, and 10 two-year-old Quarter Horses.
• The enzyme activities in foals at three different age groups (.5-3 days, 2-3 weeks, and 5-7 weeks) were compared with activities from yearling and 2-year-old horses. This comparison was carried out using multivariate analyses of variance.

Key Findings

• The study identified significantly higher enzyme values in foals (P less than 0.002). ALP and GGT showed the most noticeably higher activities, with lesser increases in SDH and 5’NT activities.
• However, the wide variation (large standard deviations) of ALP and GGT activities in foals may limit their effectiveness as diagnostic markers for liver diseases in foals.
• The other three enzymes (AST, SDH, and 5’NT) showed smaller standard deviations, suggesting that they could be reliable indicators of liver-related diseases in young horses.
• The high serum enzyme activities in foals may point towards a physiological difference between young and adult horses. The higher enzyme activities could be attributed to a higher production and release rate of these enzymes in young animals.