Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in intensely exercising horses administered nutraceutical extracts.

This research article investigates the effects of single doses of different nutraceutical extracts, like black tea, orange peel, cranberry, and ginger, on the markers of oxidative stress and antioxidant status in exercising horses. The study’s findings showed that a one-time dose of these nutraceuticals had no impact on oxidative stress or antioxidant status, suggesting that further research is needed to explore the potential benefits of long-term supplementation.

Research Methods

• The study was divided into two parts with each part involving 9 mature, healthy but unfit Standardbred mares. The horses were administered with specific dosages of nutraceutical extracts: 2 liters of either a control (water), orange peel extract (30 grams), decaffeinated black tea extract (28 grams) in the first study and control (water), cranberry extract (30 grams), or ginger extract (30 grams) in the second study.
• The dosages were given via a nasogastric tube one hour before the horses performed a graded exercise test (GXT).
• The administration of the extracts and the exercise tests followed a randomized crossover design, which means the subjects received different treatments during different times or sessions with at least a seven-day interval between the tests.
• Blood samples were collected at rest, at fatigue, 1 hour post-exercise, and 24 hours post-exercise and were analyzed for specific oxidative stress and antioxidant markers including lipid hydroperoxides (LPO), total glutathione (GSH-T), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), α-tocopherol (TOC), β-carotene (BC), and retinol.

Research Findings

• No significant effect was observed on the treatment for LPO, GSH-T, GPx, TOC, or BC, indicating that the single dose of the nutraceuticals didn’t influence the antioxidant status and oxidative stress in the horses.
• Retinol values were higher for both tea and water than for orange peel in the first study.
• In the second study, no significant effect of treatment was found for any of the evaluated markers; LPO, GPx, GSH-T, RET, BC, or TOC.
• This strongly suggests that a single dose of these nutraceuticals didn’t produce any notable effect on either oxidative stress or antioxidant status in the horses.

Conclusions

• Based on the results, it’s concluded that a single dose of various nutraceuticals in exercising horses does not produce an effect on either oxidative stress or antioxidant status.
• Therefore, there is a need for additional investigations into long-term supplementation to understand if continuous administration would have any substantial effects or benefits.