Interday variation and effect of transportation on indirect blood pressure measurements, plasma endothelin-1 and serum cortisol in Standardbred and Icelandic horses.
Abstract: Systemic hypertension is a prominent feature in humans with metabolic syndrome (MS) and this is partly caused by an enhanced endothelin-1 (ET-1) mediated vasoconstriction. There are indications that systemic hypertension might be a feature in equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) but if ET-1 is involved in the development of hypertension in horses is not known. Increased levels of cortisol have also been found in humans with MS but there are no reports of this in horses. Before blood pressure, plasma ET-1 and serum cortisol can be evaluated in horses with EMS, it is necessary to investigate the interday variation of these parameters on clinically healthy horses. The aims of the present study were therefore to evaluate the interday variation and influence of transportation on systemic blood pressure, plasma ET-1 and serum cortisol in healthy Standardbred and Icelandic horses, and to detect potential breed differences. Methods: Nine horses of each breed were included in the study. Blood pressure was measured and blood samples were collected between 6 and 9 am on two separate days. Eight of the horses (four of each breed) were transported to a new stable were they stayed overnight. The next morning, the sampling procedure was repeated. Results: The interday variation was higher for plasma ET-1 (37%) than for indirect pressure measurements (8-21%) and serum cortisol (18%). There were no differences in systemic blood pressure between the two breeds. The Icelandic horses had significantly lower serum cortisol and significantly higher plasma ET-1 concentrations compared to the Standardbred horses. Plasma ET-1 was significantly elevated after transportation, but systemic blood pressure and serum cortisol did not differ from the values obtained in the home environment. Conclusions: Indirect blood pressure, plasma ET-1 and serum cortisol are of interest as markers for cardiovascular dysfunction in horses with EMS. The elevated plasma ET-1 concentrations recorded after transportation was likely caused by a stress response. This needs to be considered when evaluating plasma ET-1 in horses after transportation. The differences detected in plasma ET-1 and serum cortisol between the two breeds might be related to differences in genetic setup, training status as well as management conditions.
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The research is about monitoring blood pressure, plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1), and cortisol levels in healthy Standardbred and Icelandic horses. The study seeks to understand the interday variation of these parameters and influence of transportation, as well as potential breed differences.
Purpose and Methodology of the Research
The study stemmed from findings in humans showing that systemic hypertension, an increased blood pressure condition, is somewhat caused by an enhanced endothelin-1 (ET-1) mediated vasoconstriction which is often found in metabolic syndrome (MS)
There are suggestions that systemic hypertension could also occur in equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), but it is unknown whether ET-1 is involved in this process. Likewise, increased cortisol levels have been noted in humans with MS yet haven’t been reported in horses
Before these factors can be studied in horses with EMS, researchers decided to understand their interday variability and effects of transportation on these elements in healthy horses
The methodology involved nine horses from each of two breeds—Standardbred and Icelandic—being included in the study. Blood pressures were taken and blood samples collected between 6 and 9 am on two separate days. Some of the horses were also transported to a different stable overnight, with samples taken again the next morning
Results from the Research
The study found that interday variation was higher for plasma ET-1 (37%) than for blood pressure measurements (8-21%) and serum cortisol (18%). This means that plasma ET-1 levels could vary more on different days compared to blood pressure or cortisol levels
No differences were found in systemic blood pressure between the two breeds of horses. However, Icelandic horses had significantly lower cortisol and significantly higher plasma ET-1 concentrations compared to the Standardbred horses
Plasma ET-1 was notably elevated after transportation, suggesting a stress response, but blood pressure and serum cortisol levels remained unchanged. This indicates that changes in a horse’s environment can significantly impact their plasma ET-1 levels
Conclusions and Implications of the Research
The results indicate that indirect blood pressure, plasma ET-1, and cortisol could be useful markers for cardiovascular dysfunction in horses with EMS. The fact that plasma ET-1 levels increased after transportation implies that this needs to be taken into account when evaluating plasma ET-1 in transported horses
The differences in plasma ET-1 and cortisol between the two breeds might stem from their different genetic makeup, training, and management conditions. This needs further study for confirmation
Cite This Article
APA
Söder J, Bröjer JT, Nostell KE.
(2012).
Interday variation and effect of transportation on indirect blood pressure measurements, plasma endothelin-1 and serum cortisol in Standardbred and Icelandic horses.
Acta Vet Scand, 54(1), 37.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-54-37
Katakam PV, Pollock JS, Pollock DM, Ujhelyi MR, Miller AW. Enhanced endothlein-1 response and receptor and expression in small resistance arteries of insulin-resistant rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2001;280:H522–H527.
Wu SQ, Hopfner RL, McNeill JR, Wilson TW, Gopalakrishnan V. Altered paracrine effect of endothelin in blood vessels of the hyperinsulinemic, insulin resistant obese Zucker rats. Cardiovasc Res 2000;45:994–1000.
Cardillo C, Campia U, Iantorno M, Panza JA. Enhanced vascular activity of endogenous endothelin-1 in obese hypertensive patients. Hypertension 2004;43:36–40.
Anagnostis P, Athyros VG, Tziomalos K, Karagiannis A, Mikhailidis DP. The Pathogenetic role of cortisol in the metabolic syndrome: A hypothesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009;94:2692–2701.
Esteghamati A, Morteza A, Khalilzadeh O, Noshad S, Novin L, Nakhjavani M. Association of serum cortisol levels with parameters of metabolic syndrome in men and women. Clin Invest Med 2011;34:E131–E137.
Maggio M, Lauretani F, Ceda GP, Bandinelli S, Basaria S, Paolisso G, Ble A, Egan JM, Metter EJ, Abbatecola AM, Zuliani G. Association of hormonal dysregulation with metabolic sydrome in older woman: data from the InCHIANTI study. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2007;292:353–358.
Bland M. An Introduction to medical statistics. Third. Oxford University Press, New York; 2000. pp. 270–271.
Hammond J, Wentz P, Statland BE, Philips JC, Winkel P. Daily variation of lipids and hormines in sera of healthy subjects. Clin Chim Acta 1976;73:347–352.
Statland BE, WinkeI P, Killingsworth LM. Factors contributing to intra-individual variation of serum constituents: 6. Physiological day-to-day variation in concentrations of 10 specific proteins in sera of healthy subjects. Clin Chem 1976;22:1635–1638.
Bröjer J, Hedenskog J, Alvarsson K, Nostell K. Evaluation of the combined glucose and insulin tolerance test in horses of different breeds and after transportation. In manuscript.
Zeng G, Quon MJ. Insulin-stimulated production of nitric oxide is inhibited by wortmannin. Direct measurement in vascular endothelial cells. J Clin Invest 1996;15:894–898.
Cardillo C, Nambi SS, Kilcoyne CM, Choucair WK, Katz A, Quon MJ, Panza JA. Insulin stimulates both endothelin and nitric oxide activity in the human forearm. Circulation 1999;100:820–825.
Pantelis A, Sarafidis LB, George LB. Insulin and Endothelin: An interplay Contributing to hypertension Development?. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:379–385.
Schmidt A, Möstl E, Wehnert C, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C. Cortisol release and heart variability in horses during road transport. Horm Behav 2010;57:209–215.
Geddes LA, Voelz M, Combs C, Reiner D, Babbs CF. Characterization of the oscillometric method for measuring indirect blood pressure. Ann Biomed Eng 1982;10:271–280.
Meyer O, Jenni R, Greiter-Wilke A, Breidenbach A, Holzgrefe HH. Comparison of telemetry an high-definition oscillometry for blood pressure measurement in conscious dogs: Effects of Torcetrapib. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2010;4:464–471.
Mitchell AZ, McMahon C, Beck TW, Sarazan RD. Sensitivity of two noninvasive blood pressure measurement techniques compared to telemetry in cynomolgus monkeys and beagle dogs. J Pharmacol Toxicol Meth 2010;62:54–63.