Omic technology to monitoring resilience and adaptation to exercise and heat stress in endurance horses.
Abstract: In horses, heat exposure modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, autonomic nervous system, and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis to maintain body temperature and prevent excessive heat accumulation. However, during strenuous exercise under hot and humid conditions, heat production may exceed dissipation, leading to heat stress, anhidrosis, heat stroke, or brain damage. Unassigned: Incremental field standardized exercise tests (fSETs) provide a reliable approach to assess training and fitness levels. Six Arabian horses from Italia Endurance Stable and Academy were monitored during fSETs performed under heat stress (HS) and thermoneutral (TN) conditions, with blood samples collected before and after each test. Hematocrit, lactate, and biochemical parameters were measured, and total serum RNA was sequenced. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of miRNA targets was constructed and analyzed for Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment. Unassigned: Lactatemia and hematocrit were significantly higher in HS vs. TN, while alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, and creatine kinase increased in HS POST vs. PRE fSET. Differentially expressed small RNAs included eca-myomir-206, eca-mir-301, eca-mir-3613-3p, eca-mir-142, and eca-mir-144, which were modulated by temperature and exercise. In POST vs. PRE fSET, enriched terms involved transcriptional regulation, glucose and LDL response, intracellular trafficking, cytoskeleton organization, cardiac conduction, ion channels, and immune regulation. In HS POST vs. PRE fSET, enrichment was observed for positive regulation of dendritic cell cytokine production, negative regulation of inflammation, and attenuation of oxidative stress-induced apoptotic signaling. Unassigned: This study aimed to investigate the molecular features underlying resilience and adaptation to combined heat- and exercise-induced stress in horses. Overall, our findings indicate that heat amplifies the physiological burden of endurance exercise and alters the molecular mechanisms supporting performance and recovery. Circulating small RNAs may act as early signals for homeostatic restoration and could help elucidate adaptive responses to stress, guiding personalized training strategies.
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Research Overview
This study examined how endurance horses adapt and respond at the molecular and physiological levels to exercise performed under heat stress versus thermoneutral conditions.
Using standardized exercise tests and advanced omic technologies, the researchers monitored various blood markers and gene expression changes to investigate resilience and recovery mechanisms.
Background and Importance
Horses exposed to heat use neuroendocrine systems—the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, autonomic nervous system, and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis—to regulate body temperature and avoid overheating.
When undertaking intense exercise in hot, humid environments, heat production can exceed dissipation capacity, potentially causing heat stress, anhidrosis (inability to sweat), heat stroke, or brain damage.
Understanding how horses adapt to combined heat and exercise stress is vital to optimizing training and preventing health issues.
Study Design and Methods
Six Arabian endurance horses were selected from Italia Endurance Stable and Academy.
Each horse performed incremental field standardized exercise tests (fSETs) under two conditions: heat stress (HS) and thermoneutral (TN) environments.
Blood samples were taken before and after each test.
Measurements taken included hematocrit (proportion of red blood cells), lactate, biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, creatinine, creatine kinase), and total serum RNA sequencing to examine small RNA expression.
A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed based on miRNA targets to identify enriched biological processes using Gene Ontology (GO) analysis.
Key Physiological Findings
Lactate and hematocrit levels were significantly higher when horses exercised under heat stress compared to thermoneutral conditions, indicating increased physiological strain and potentially greater muscle metabolism and dehydration.
Alanine aminotransferase (liver enzyme), creatinine (kidney function marker), and creatine kinase (muscle damage marker) all increased after the fSET performed in heat stress, suggesting heightened organ and muscle stress.
Molecular and Genomic Insights
Several small RNAs, including eca-myomir-206, eca-mir-301, eca-mir-3613-3p, eca-mir-142, and eca-mir-144, were differentially expressed depending on temperature and exercise status.
Post-exercise compared to pre-exercise, enriched biological pathways involved:
Glucose and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) response pathways
Intracellular trafficking and cytoskeleton organization (cell structural and transport mechanisms)
Cardiac conduction and ion channel function (heart performance and electrical activity)
Immune regulation mechanisms
Specifically under heat stress post-exercise, the gene ontology enrichment highlighted:
Positive regulation of dendritic cell cytokine production (immune activation)
Negative regulation of inflammation (anti-inflammatory processes)
Attenuation of oxidative stress-induced apoptotic signaling (protection against cell death triggered by oxidative damage)
Conclusions and Applications
The study demonstrates that heat amplifies the physiological and molecular demands of endurance exercise, pushing horses’ recovery and homeostatic mechanisms harder.
Circulating small RNAs in the blood appear to be promising early biomarkers signaling the activation of adaptive responses to combined heat and exercise stress.
These molecular signals could help understand resilience in athletic horses and guide the development of personalized training and recovery protocols tailored to environmental conditions.
Overall, integrating omic technologies with physiological testing provides a powerful approach to monitor and improve horse performance and welfare under challenging environmental stresses.
Cite This Article
APA
(2026).
Omic technology to monitoring resilience and adaptation to exercise and heat stress in endurance horses.
Front Vet Sci, 12, 1734969.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1734969
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.
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