The effects of dietary N-3 and antioxidant supplementation on erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity in exercising horses.
Abstract: Fatty acid supplementation could modulate erythrocyte membrane fluidity in horses at rest and during exercise, but information is lacking on the effect of exercise. Objective: To assess the effect of exercise with, and without, an oral antioxidant supplementation enriched with n-3 fatty acids on erythrocyte membrane fluidity (EMF) and fatty acid composition in eventing horses. Methods: Twelve healthy and regularly trained horses were divided randomly into 2 groups: group S received an oral antioxidant cocktail enriched in n-3 fatty acid (alphatocopherol, eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]) whereas group P was placebo-treated. At the end of 4 weeks, all horses performed a standardised exercise test (ET) under field conditions. Venous blood was sampled before starting treatment (TO), immediately before (T1) as well as 15 min (T2) and 24 h (T3) after ET. Spin labelled (16-DOXYL-stearic acid) red blood cell membranes were characterised using the relaxation correlation time (Tc in inverse proportion to EMF). Fatty acid composition (%) of the membrane was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Results: Supplementation did not induce changes in EMF (T1 vs. TO) but significant changes in membrane composition were observed and there were increases in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid PUFA, n-3/n-6 ratio, and total n-3 fatty acids. Exercise (T2 vs. T1) induced a significant decrease of EMF in group P (Tc: +19%, P<0.05) and nonsignificant decrease in group S (Tc: +5%), whereas membrane fatty acid composition did not change in either group. During the recovery period (T3 vs. T2), EMF decreased significantly in group S (Tc: +29%, P<0.05) and nonsignificantly in group P (Tc: +18%) without any significant changes in fatty acid composition. Conclusions: An enriched oral antioxidant supplementation induced changes in membrane composition, which modulated the decrease in EMF induced by exercise. Long chain n-3 fatty acid supplementation might therefore be beneficial.
Publication Date: 2007-04-04 PubMed ID: 17402432DOI: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05553.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Randomized Controlled Trial
Summary
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This research explored how dietary supplements rich in N-3 fatty acids and antioxidants impact the fatty acid composition and fluidity of erythrocyte membranes in exercising horses.
Objective and Methods
- The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of exercise and dietary supplementation with oral antioxidants enriched with n-3 fatty acids on the fluidity and fatty acid composition of the erythrocyte membrane in eventing horses.
- Twelve healthy and regularly exercising horses were divided into two groups. One group received an oral antioxidant cocktail enriched with n-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and alphatocopherol), and the other group received a placebo treatment.
- The research design involved four weeks of intervention, after which all the horses performed a standardized exercise test. Blood samples were taken before the onset of the treatment, just before, 15 minutes after, and 24 hours after the exercise test.
- The researchers used gas-liquid chromatography and characterization of labeled red blood cell membranes to determine the fatty acid composition and fluidity of the erythrocyte membrane, respectively.
Findings
- The results showed that the dietary supplementation did not affect erythrocyte membrane fluidity before exercise but it did lead to significant changes in membrane composition, including an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), n-3/n-6 ratio, and total n-3 fatty acids.
- Exercise led to a significant decrease of erythrocyte membrane fluidity in the placebo group, and a non-significant decrease in the supplemented group.
- During the recovery period, the erythrocyte membrane fluidity decreased significantly in the supplemented group with no significant changes in the fatty acid composition in either group.
Conclusions
- The outcomes of this investigation indicate that dietary supplementation with antioxidants and n-3 fatty acids can induce changes in the composition of erythrocyte membranes. Also, the supplementation seemed to control the decrease in erythrocyte membrane fluidity caused by exercise.
- This suggests that n-3 fatty acid supplementation may be beneficial for maintaining erythrocyte membrane health during exercise in horses. However, additional research is required to corroborate these results and determine the practical implications for horse-care and performance.
Cite This Article
APA
Portier K, de Moffarts B, Fellman N, Kirschvink N, Motta C, Letellierw C, Ruelland A, van Erck E, Lekeux P, Couder J.
(2007).
The effects of dietary N-3 and antioxidant supplementation on erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition and fluidity in exercising horses.
Equine Vet J Suppl(36), 279-284.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05553.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Equine Department, National Veterinary School of Lyon; tDepartment for Functional Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, Belgium.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antioxidants / administration & dosage
- Antioxidants / metabolism
- Chromatography, Gas
- Dietary Supplements
- Docosahexaenoic Acids / administration & dosage
- Docosahexaenoic Acids / metabolism
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid / administration & dosage
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid / metabolism
- Erythrocyte Membrane / chemistry
- Exercise Test / veterinary
- Fatty Acids / analysis
- Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / administration & dosage
- Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / metabolism
- Female
- Horses / metabolism
- Horses / physiology
- Male
- Membrane Fluidity / drug effects
- Membrane Fluidity / physiology
- Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology
- alpha-Tocopherol / administration & dosage
- alpha-Tocopherol / metabolism
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