Histopathologic findings in the sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis muscle of horses with vitamin E-responsive muscle atrophy and weakness.
Abstract: To characterize clinical findings, outcomes, muscle characteristics, and serum or muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol for horses with vitamin E-responsive signs of muscle atrophy and weakness consistent with signs of equine motor neuron disease (EMND). Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: 8 affected (case) adult horses with acute (n = 3) or chronic (5) gross muscle atrophy that improved with vitamin E treatment and 14 clinically normal (control) adult horses with adequate (within reference range; 8) or low (6) muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol. Methods: Medical records were reviewed, serum and muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol were measured, and frozen biopsy specimens of sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis muscle and gluteal muscle were histologically evaluated for pathological changes. Fiber type composition and fiber diameters were assessed in gluteal muscle specimens. Results: A myopathy that was histologically characterized by redistribution of mitochondrial enzyme stain (moth-eaten appearance) and anguloid atrophy of myofibers was evident in sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis muscle fibers of the 8 affected horses that had low serum (6/8) or skeletal muscle (5/5) concentrations of α-tocopherol; these histopathologic changes were not found in muscle specimens of control horses with low or adequate muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol. All affected horses regained strength and muscle mass within 3 months after initiation of vitamin E treatment and dietary changes. Conclusions: A vitamin E-deficient myopathy characterized histologically by a moth-eaten appearance in the mitochondria and anguloid myofiber atrophy in frozen sections of sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis muscle biopsy specimens was found in horses with clinical signs of EMND that were highly responsive to vitamin E treatment. This myopathy may be a specific syndrome or possibly precede the development of neurogenic muscle fiber atrophy typical of EMND.
Publication Date: 2013-04-04 PubMed ID: 23547678DOI: 10.2460/javma.242.8.1127Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The study examines the effects of Vitamin E on horses suffering from muscle atrophy and weakness, revealing that these conditions, showing signs similar to equine motor neuron disease, can be significantly improved with Vitamin E treatment.
Research Methodology
- The study conducted is a retrospective case-control study, featuring eight adult horses showing symptoms muscle atrophy (cases), and 14 clinically normal adult horses (controls).
- Out of the eight case horses, three had acute muscle atrophy and five had chronic muscle atrophy. All showed improvements after Vitamin E treatment.
- The study divided the control horses into two subsets: eight with adequate muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E), and six with low concentrations.
- Medical records were reviewed, serum and muscle concentrations of α-tocopherol were measured, and muscle samples from different areas were histologically examined to check for pathological changes.
Results of the Study
- The study discovered a particular kind of myopathy in the case horses, characterized by a specific pattern in the mitochondria (known as a moth-eaten appearance) and anguloid myofiber atrophy.
- This form of myopathy was found in horses that had low concentrations of α-tocopherol in their serum or skeletal muscles, but not in control horses, even those with low concentrations of the vitamin.
- All case horses regained their muscle strength and mass within three months after the initiation of Vitamin E treatment and dietary modifications.
Conclusion from the Study
- The researchers concluded that a vitamin E-deficient myopathy, identifiable by specific histological characteristics in the muscle, was found in horses displaying clinical symptoms of equine motor neuron disease (EMND).
- The afflicted horses were found to be highly responsive to Vitamin E treatment.
- The scientists suggested that this particular myopathy could be a distinct syndrome or might precede the onset of neurogenic muscle fiber atrophy typical of EMND.
The study’s results highlight the importance of Vitamin E in the well-being of horses, providing hints for the potential prevention and management of equine motor neuron disease.
Cite This Article
APA
Bedford HE, Valberg SJ, Firshman AM, Lucio M, Boyce MK, Trumble TN.
(2013).
Histopathologic findings in the sacrocaudalis dorsalis medialis muscle of horses with vitamin E-responsive muscle atrophy and weakness.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 242(8), 1127-1137.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.242.8.1127 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA. hollybedforddvm@hotmail.com
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horses
- Male
- Muscle, Skeletal / drug effects
- Muscle, Skeletal / pathology
- Muscular Atrophy / drug therapy
- Muscular Atrophy / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Vitamin E / administration & dosage
- Vitamin E / blood
- Vitamin E / therapeutic use
Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Pitel MO, McKenzie EC, Johns JL, Stuart RL. Influence of specific management practices on blood selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene concentrations in horses and risk of nutritional deficiency. J Vet Intern Med 2020 Sep;34(5):2132-2141.
- Bookbinder L, Finno CJ, Firshman AM, Katzman SA, Burns E, Peterson J, Dahlgren A, Ming-Whitfield B, Glessner S, Borer-Matsui A, Valberg SJ. Impact of alpha-tocopherol deficiency and supplementation on sacrocaudalis and gluteal muscle fiber histopathology and morphology in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2019 Nov;33(6):2770-2779.
- Willmann R, Gordish-Dressman H, Meinen S, Rüegg MA, Yu Q, Nagaraju K, Kumar A, Girgenrath M, Coffey CBM, Cruz V, Van Ry PM, Bogdanik L, Lutz C, Rutkowski A, Burkin DJ. Improving Reproducibility of Phenotypic Assessments in the DyW Mouse Model of Laminin-α2 Related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. J Neuromuscul Dis 2017;4(2):115-126.
- Brown JC, Valberg SJ, Hogg M, Finno CJ. Effects of feeding two RRR-α-tocopherol formulations on serum, cerebrospinal fluid and muscle α-tocopherol concentrations in horses with subclinical vitamin E deficiency. Equine Vet J 2017 Nov;49(6):753-758.
- Finno CJ, Kaese HJ, Miller AD, Gianino G, Divers T, Valberg SJ. Pigment retinopathy in warmblood horses with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy and equine motor neuron disease. Vet Ophthalmol 2017 Jul;20(4):304-309.
- Husulak ML, Lohmann KL, Gabadage K, Wojnarowicz C, Marqués FJ. Equine motor neuron disease in 2 horses from Saskatchewan. Can Vet J 2016 Jul;57(7):771-6.
- Díez de Castro E, Zafra R, Acevedo LM, Pérez J, Acosta I, Rivero JL, Aguilera-Tejero E. Eosinophilic Enteritis in Horses with Motor Neuron Disease. J Vet Intern Med 2016 May;30(3):873-9.
- McCoy AM, Schaefer R, Petersen JL, Morrell PL, Slamka MA, Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ, McCue ME. Evidence of positive selection for a glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation in domestic horse populations. J Hered 2014 Mar-Apr;105(2):163-72.
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