Pre- and post-race serum cardiac troponin T concentrations in Standardbred racehorses.
Abstract: Elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) concentrations may provide evidence of myocardial injury but physiological post-exercise release also occurs. Reference intervals are not fully established in horses making interpretation difficult. The aims of this study were to establish an upper reference limit for serum cTnT, compare pre-and post-race serum cTnT concentrations, and to evaluate factors that may influence these in a population of healthy, race-fit Standardbred racehorses. Serum samples were collected pre- (n = 108) and 1-2 h post-racing (n = 101) and analysed using a high sensitivity-cTnT assay. Reference limits with 90% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by non-parametric methods using the bootstrap method. Effects of sex, age, racing speed, distance, placings and track surface were assessed by fitting generalized linear models with an identity link function and inverse Gaussian distribution. The upper reference limit for serum cTnT concentration was 27.4 ng/L (90% CI 13.1-32.0). The median serum cTnT concentration was significantly higher 1-2 h post-racing compared to pre-racing (P < 0.001). Age and sex did not significantly affect serum cTnT concentrations pre-racing (P = 0.5 and P = 0.11). Cardiac troponin T concentrations were significantly higher post-racing in females (P = 0.018). Racing speed and placings had no effect on serum cTnT concentrations post-race (P = 0.71 and P = 0.66). The study contributed towards establishing an upper reference limit for serum cTnT concentrations in a population of race-fit Standardbreds and evaluated factors that may have influenced the results obtained.
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020-01-27 PubMed ID: 32113587DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2020.105433Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper investigates the levels of a protein called cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in the blood of Standardbred racehorses before and after a race, and establishes a reference limit for it. Additionally, the study explored several factors that could influence these levels.
Background
- Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is a protein found primarily in the heart muscle. When the heart muscle gets damaged, cTnT levels rise in the bloodstream. This characteristic has made it a biomarker for heart damage in medical studies.
- Exercise can also contribute to an increase in the cTnT levels, but the upper limit of what might be considered ‘normal’ is not well established in racehorses, making interpretation of results challenging.
- The researchers sought to establish an upper reference limit for serum cTnT in Standardbred racehorses and also to compare the levels before and after a race.
- Furthermore, they intended to study the influence of certain factors like sex, age, racing speed, and distance on the cTnT levels.
Methods
- The team collected blood samples before and 1-2 hours after racing from a total of 108 horses.
- They analyzed these samples using a high-sensitivity test designed to detect cTnT.
- They used statistical techniques to calculate reference limits and assess the impact of the factors they had identified.
Findings
- The study found that the upper reference limit for cTnT was 27.4 ng/L. This means that readings above this level could possibly indicate cardiac damage in a racing Standardbred.
- The median level of cTnT was notably higher post-racing compared to pre-racing.
- Interestingly, the age and sex of the horse did not significantly affect the cTnT levels before the race. However, female horses showed significantly higher cTnT levels after the race.
- Factors such as racing speed and performance ranking had no significant effect on the post-race cTnT levels in the studied sample.
Significance
- The study fills a knowledge gap by providing an upper reference limit for serum cTnT concentrations in Standardbred racehorses. This reference value can help in interpreting post-race cTnT levels and evaluating horses’ cardiac health.
- The results provide valuable insights into the factors influencing serum cTnT levels, although further exploration of these factors is needed in subsequent work.
Cite This Article
APA
Hellings IR, Krontveit R, Øverlie M, Kallmyr A, Holm T, Fintl C.
(2020).
Pre- and post-race serum cardiac troponin T concentrations in Standardbred racehorses.
Vet J, 256, 105433.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2020.105433 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Post Box 8146 Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: ingunn.risnes.hellings@nmbu.no.
- Norwegian Medicine Agency, Post Box 240 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway.
- Rikstotoklinikken Bjerke, Post Box 194 Økern, 0510 Oslo, Norway.
- Rikstotoklinikken Bjerke, Post Box 194 Økern, 0510 Oslo, Norway.
- Evidensia Lørenskog Dyreklinikk, Solheimveien 56, 1473 Lørenskog, Norway.
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Sciences, Post Box 8146 Dep., 0033 Oslo, Norway.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Female
- Horses / blood
- Male
- Physical Exertion / physiology
- Reference Values
- Running / physiology
- Troponin T / blood
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Hellings IR, Skjerve E, Karlstam E, Valheim M, Ihler CF, Fintl C. Racing-associated fatalities in Norwegian and Swedish harness racehorses: Incidence rates, risk factors, and principal postmortem findings. J Vet Intern Med 2022 Mar;36(2):778-786.
- Mehrazin H, Sakha M, Safi S. Effects of Age, Sex, and Exercise on Measurement of Serum CTnI Levels and Some Parameters Related to the Cardiovascular Capacity of Caspian Horses. Vet Med Sci 2025 Mar;11(2):e70202.
- Foreman JH, Tennent-Brown BS, Oyama MA, Sisson DD. Plasma Cardiac Troponin-I Concentration in Normal Horses and in Horses with Cardiac Abnormalities. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 3;15(1).
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