Effect of exercise training, selenium and vitamin E on some free radical scavengers in horses (Equus caballus).

The research article investigates the impact of exercise training, selenium, and vitamin E on the capacity of racehorses to neutralize free radicals. The study found that these interventions increased the antioxidant defenses in the horses, reducing oxidative stress after physical exercise.

Study Overview

• The research was conducted using 3-year-old racehorses (Equus caballus). The research team subjected these horses to a series of different physical exercise trials before and after 70 days of daily training and dietary supplements (vitamin E and selenium).
• The focus of the study was on understanding the effects of physical stress, characterized by high oxygen needs and increased cellular respiration, on the overproduction of free radicals. The researchers hypothesize that when free radical generation exceeds the cell’s antioxidant capacity, tissue damage develops due to oxidative stress.
• The primary objective of this research was to find ways to increase the scavenger ability of the tissues — the capacity to neutralize harmful free radicals. They evaluated whether this could be achieved via controlled training and dietary supplements.

Key Findings

• The exercise training and dietary supplements were found to increase both the resistance of red blood cells to the peroxidative stress induced in vitro and the activity of the glutathione peroxidase in lymphocytes. This enzyme is an important antioxidant in the body’s cells and helps to protect them from damage by free radicals.
• The interventions were also able to decrease malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in the plasma. MDA is a marker of oxidative stress and an indicator of lipid peroxidation, which happens when free radicals steal electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in cell damage.
• Moreover, the treatments reduced vitamin E consumption and the mobilization of low molecular weight antioxidants following the physical exercise trials. These results suggest that the interventions helped to preserve the body’s natural antioxidants and reduce oxidative stress after physical exercise.
• Overall, the results indicated that the training and diet supplements used were able to significantly increase horse antioxidant defenses in both the extracellular fluids and blood cells, thereby decreasing peroxidative phenomena following physical exercise.