Plasma vitamin K concentration in horses supplemented with several vitamin K homologs.

The research examined the effect of different forms of vitamin K on its concentration in the bloodstream of horses. It concluded that menadione could be a helpful supplemental source of vitamin K for equine bone health.

Research Design and Methodology

• Sixteen Thoroughbred horses were used in the study. The horses comprised of 8 mares and 8 geldings, aged around 8.4 years and weighing an average of520.8 kg.
• These horses were divided into four groups, each consisting of four horses.
• Each group was given one of three different vitamin K homologs—phylloquinone, menaquinone-4, or menadione at a quantity of 58µmol/day—or no vitamin K supplement at all for 7 days.
• Plasma samples were collected from the horses before and 2, 4, and 8 hours after feeding on day 7.
• The plasma samples were then used to determine the concentrations of the different vitamin K forms given—phylloquinone and menaquinone-4.

Realization and Interpretation

• The study found that the group of horses given phylloquinone showed a higher plasma concentration of this form of vitamin K compared to the other groups. Moreover, this concentration increased quadratically after feeding, but no changes in plasma phylloquinone concentration were observed after feeding in the other groups.
• The plasma concentration of menaquinone-4 was higher in the group given menadione when compared to the other groups, including the one given menaquinone-4 itself. However, menaquinone-4 concentration did not change after feeding in any group.
• This led to the conclusion that menaquinone-4, considered the most potent form of vitamin K for bone metabolism, could be adequately supplied to horses through supplementation with menadione.

Conclusions

• The results of the experiment suggest that menadione could be a useful source of vitamin K for supporting bone health in horses, as it was found to increase the plasma concentration of menaquinone-4, a component of vitamin K considered important for bone metabolism.