Study of gelatin supplemented diet on amino acid homeostasis in the horse.

The research paper investigates the effects of supplementing a horse’s diet with gelatin on amino acid homeostasis, observing that the consumption of gelatin influences the balance of certain amino acids related to cartilage synthesis.

Research Methods

• The study was carried out on twelve Standardbred horses with an average weight of 404 kg. The horses were divided into two groups – a control group (C, n=6) fed a hay-concentrate diet supplemented by soybean meal and oil, and another group (G, n=6), which was given the same diet with an additional 60g of gelatin per day
• The horses underwent a cycle of interval and prolonged exercise every second day. Through a standardized exercise test at the start and middle of the 64-day training period, researchers matched treadmill speeds to blood lactate levels.
• Weekly blood samples from the horses were taken at rest (two hours after feeding) for amino acid analysis. In the second half of the training period, they conducted a post-meal sampling on a day without exercise which lasted up to 8 hours post-feeding.
• HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) was used to ascertain the levels of free amino acids (AA) in the plasma samples.

Findings

• The transition to the training diet resulted in an increase in many amino acids in the horses throughout the training period. A significant increase in free glycine and proline levels in the blood was observed in the horses given gelatin after a week of supplementation.
• They noticed the presence of an amino acid curve where the peak concentration in the plasma was reached 2-3 hours post-feeding. There was a significant effect of gelatin on post-meal concentrations, particularly for the amino acids glycine, proline, and arginine.

Conclusions

• The research suggests that amino acids derived from ingested gelatin are absorbed quickly and become readily available for metabolic processes that involve amino acids. The findings indicate that in horses, the consumption of gelatin affects the balance of those amino acids required for cartilage synthesis.
• The paper concludes that further research is required to shed light on how these amino acids might be used in preventing or repairing cartilage damage.