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Home / Equine Research Bank / Front Vet Sci / Investigations on metabolic diseases of horses in Egypt.
Frontiers in veterinary science2025; 12; 1591090; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1591090

Investigations on metabolic diseases of horses in Egypt.

Abstract: Obesity is a significant risk factor that predisposes horses to laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome, arthritis, heart disease, and respiratory issues. Unassigned: Mares showing overweight or laminitis ( = 30), different BCS ( = 90) weighing 350-550 Kg were subjected to clinical and rump fat assessments. Blood samples were collected to measure circulating estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and leptin. Additionally, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, albumin, nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutathione reduced, catalase, and serum amyloid A were measured. Statistical comparisons among mares were based on laminitis, hyperinsulinemia, overweight, the combination of hyperinsulinemia and overweight, and rump fat levels. Unassigned: Laminitis was associated with lower glucose levels (4.83 ± 0.16 5.56 ± 0.52 mmol/L; 0.002) and body weight (380.0 ± 10.95 447.6 ± 65.98 kg; 0.02), as well as higher albumin (3.78 ± 0.01 3.11 ± 0.62 g/dL; 0.015), catalase (193.64 ± 69.29 37.45 ± 7.57 U/mL; 0.001), IGF-1 (29.35 ± 17.31 20.29 ± 6.48 ng/mL; 0.043), and the glucose/insulin ratio (0.77 ± 0.68 0.44 ± 0.030; 0.05). Obesity (>450 Kg) was associated with increased glucose levels (5.60 ± 0.54 5.15 ± 0.39 nmol/L; 0.018) and reduced IGF-1 (16.44 ± 4.51 28.24 ± 3.90 ng/mL; 0.001), albumin (2.98 ± 0.67 3.46 ± 0.53 g/dL; 0.041), albumin/globulin ratio (0.72 ± 0.07 0.98 ± 0.11; 0.048), and glucose/insulin ratio (0.34 ± 0.14 0.71 ± 0.58; 0.009). Hyperinsulinemia (>20 μU/L) was associated with significant reduction in albumin (2.67 ± 0.59 3.56 ± 0.37 g/dL; 0.0001), albumin/globulin ratio (0.57 ± 0.24 1.01 ± 0.32 g/dL; 0.0001), catalase (17.23 ± 2.24 100.67 ± 30.99 U/mL; 0.021), NO (19.23 ± 2.24 . 21.35 ± 1.29 mmoL/mL; = 0.002), glucose (5.44 ± 0.53 5.61 ± 0.38 mmol/L; 0.038), and glucose/insulin ratio (0.18 ± 0.04 0.72 ± 0.41; 0.0001). In contrast, globulin levels were significantly elevated (5.02 ± 1.02 . 3.85 ± 1.10 g/dL;  = 0.0001). The combination of hyperinsulinemia and obesity was associated with significant decreases in ( 0.0001) albumin, albumin/globulin, and IGF-1, and increases in LDH, NO, globulins ( 0.006). Additionally, NO levels were significantly reduced in hyperinsulinemia mares with lower body weight ( 0.0001). Unassigned: Obesity, whether assessed by rump fat or overweight, is not always associated with hyperinsulinemia or with metabolic or endocrinologic abnormalities in mares. Conversely, hyperinsulinemia is not always associated with obesity but is related to insulin resistance and dysregulation.
Copyright © 2025 Aboelmaaty, Ahdy, El-khodery and Elgioushy.
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Publication Date: 2025-08-18 PubMed ID: 40901060PubMed Central: PMC12400681DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1591090Google Scholar: Lookup
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APA
Aboelmaaty AM, Ahdy AM, El-Khodery S, Elgioushy M. (2025). Investigations on metabolic diseases of horses in Egypt. Front Vet Sci, 12, 1591090. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1591090

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Pages: 1591090
PII: 1591090

Researcher Affiliations

Aboelmaaty, Amal M
  • Animal Reproduction and AI Department, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.
Ahdy, Ahmed M
  • Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
El-Khodery, Sabry
  • Department of Medicine and Infectious Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
Elgioushy, Magdy
  • Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Egypt.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

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