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Veterinary research communications2025; 49(5); 277; doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10853-2

Evaluation of age effect on circulating catecholamines’ network in pregnant mares.

Abstract: Catecholamines (CATs) are essential neuroendocrine regulators with plasma concentrations that naturally fluctuate during pregnancy. Age-related changes in CATs, observed in humans and animals, suggest that gestation and aging together influence catecholaminergic activity. Blood samples were collected from Spanish Purebred mares categorized into three age cohorts (4-7 years, n = 18; 8-10 years, n = 18; 11-15 years, n = 18) across four defined gestational stages: first trimester (T1), second trimester (T2), third trimester (T3), and the final bimester (B4). Plasma concentrations of adrenaline (A), noradrenaline (NA), and dopamine (DA) were quantified using a horse-specific validated competitive enzyme immunoassay (3-CAT EIA). CATs during gestation showed age-dependent patterns: A declined from T1 to T2 (p < 0.05), stabilizing or slightly increasing at T3-B4; mares 8-10 years had greatest A at T1, while 11-15 years maintained greater A concentrations at T2. NA was elevated in younger mares (4-7 years) in late gestation (p ≤ 0.05), with the lowest concentrations in mares of 8-10 years. DA peaked in mid-gestation and decreased before parturition (p ≤ 0.05), with older mares that display a more stable profile. These findings highlight age-related modulation of neuroendocrine function during pregnancy.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
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Publication Date: 2025-08-08 PubMed ID: 40779211PubMed Central: 2765364DOI: 10.1007/s11259-025-10853-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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APA
Satué K, Medica P, Fauci D, Gímenez ED, Fazio E. (2025). Evaluation of age effect on circulating catecholamines’ network in pregnant mares. Vet Res Commun, 49(5), 277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-025-10853-2

Publication

Veterinary research communications
ISSN: 1573-7446
NlmUniqueID: 8100520
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 49
Issue: 5
Pages: 277

Researcher Affiliations

Satué, Katiuska
  • Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia, Spain.
Medica, Pietro
  • Unit of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Messina University, Polo Universitario Annunziata, Messina, 98168, Italy.
Fauci, Deborah La
  • Unit of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Messina University, Polo Universitario Annunziata, Messina, 98168, Italy. deblafauci@unime.it.
Gímenez, Elena Damía
  • Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia, Spain.
Fazio, Esterina
  • Unit of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Messina University, Polo Universitario Annunziata, Messina, 98168, Italy.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Horses / blood
  • Horses / physiology
  • Pregnancy
  • Catecholamines / blood
  • Pregnancy, Animal / blood
  • Aging / blood
  • Aging / physiology
  • Age Factors
  • Norepinephrine / blood
  • Epinephrine / blood

Conflict of Interest Statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: All methods and procedures used in the present study followed the guidelines of Spanish law (RD 37/2014) that regulates the protection of animals used for scientific purposes. The Animal Ethics Committee for the Care and Use of Animals of the CEU-Cardenal Herrera University (Spain) concluded that the proposed study did not need ethical approval, since this experiment was part of the clinical evaluation of the animals at this stage of their cycle. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from the owners of all subjects involved in the study. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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