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Home / Equine Research Bank / Biol Open / The effects of moderate intensity training in a hypoxic envi...
Biology open2017; 6(7); 1035-1040; doi: 10.1242/bio.020388

The effects of moderate intensity training in a hypoxic environment on transcriptional responses in Thoroughbred horses.

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of six weeks of normobaric hypoxic training on transcriptional expression of the genes associated with mitochondrial and glycolytic activities in Thoroughbred horses. Eight horses were divided into two groups of four. They completed an identical incremental, moderate intensity training program, except that one group trained in a hypoxic chamber with 15% oxygen for 30 min on alternate days except Sundays (HT), while the other group trained in normal air (NC). Prior to and post training, heart rate and blood lactate were measured during an incremental treadmill test. Muscle biopsy samples were taken prior to and 24 h post the training period for qPCR analysis of mRNA changes in VEGF, PPARγ, HIF-1α, PGC-1α, COX4, AK3, LDH, PFK, PKm and SOD-2. No significant differences between the HT and NC were detected by independent-samples -test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (>0.05) in relative changes of mRNA abundance. There were no significant differences between groups for heart rate and blood lactate during the treadmill test. The outcomes indicated that this hypoxia training program did not cause a significant variation in basal level expression of the selected mRNAs in Thoroughbreds as compared with normoxic training.
© 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2017-07-15 PubMed ID: 28583927PubMed Central: PMC5550905DOI: 10.1242/bio.020388Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research assessed the impact of training in low oxygen conditions on certain gene expressions in Thoroughbred horses. The study found no significant variations in the selected genes, heart rate and blood lactate levels with this kind of training compared to normal air training.

Research Method

  • The study involved eight Thoroughbred horses, equally divided into two groups. Both groups underwent a similar incremental moderate-intensity training program.
  • However, one group trained in a hypoxic chamber with only 15% oxygen for 30 minutes every alternate day except Sundays (known as the HT group) while the other group trained in normal air conditions (referred to as the NC group).
  • At the start and end of the training, measurements of heart rate and blood lactate were recorded during an incremental treadmill test for both groups.
  • Additionally, muscle biopsy samples were taken from the horses before and 24 hours after the training period. These were analyzed using qPCR to assess changes in the transcriptional expression of ten genes associated with mitochondrial and glycolytic activities.

Study Findings

  • The genes examined were; VEGF, PPARγ, HIF-1α, PGC-1α, COX4, AK3, LDH, PFK, PKm, and SOD-2.
  • The results showed no significant differences between the HT and NC groups in relative changes of mRNA abundance for the selected genes.
  • This was determined by an independent-samples t-test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.
  • Similarly, there were no significant differences between the two groups in heart rate and blood lactate levels during the treadmill test.

Conclusions

  • The study concluded that training in a hypoxic environment did not cause significant changes in the basal level expressions of the selected genes in Thoroughbred horses, in comparison to training in normal air conditions.
  • This suggests that hypoxic training, in the conditions set out in this study, might not have the enhanced performance benefits sometimes attributed to such training methods.

Cite This Article

APA
Davie AJ, Wen L, Cust ARE, Beavers R, Fyfe T, Zhou S. (2017). The effects of moderate intensity training in a hypoxic environment on transcriptional responses in Thoroughbred horses. Biol Open, 6(7), 1035-1040. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.020388

Publication

Biology open
ISSN: 2046-6390
NlmUniqueID: 101578018
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 6
Issue: 7
Pages: 1035-1040

Researcher Affiliations

Davie, Allan J
  • Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
Wen, Li
  • Tianjin University of Sports, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine, Tianjin 300381, China shi.zhou@scu.edu.au wenli34@hotmail.com.
Cust, Andrew R E
  • Ballarat Veterinary Practice, Ballarat, VIC 3350, Australia.
Beavers, Rosalind
  • Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia.
Fyfe, Tom
  • Pulford Air and Gas, Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia.
Zhou, Shi
  • Southern Cross University, School of Health and Human Sciences, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia shi.zhou@scu.edu.au wenli34@hotmail.com.

Conflict of Interest Statement

Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Davie A, Beavers R, Hargitaiová K, Denham J. The Emerging Role of Hypoxic Training for the Equine Athlete. Animals (Basel) 2023 Sep 3;13(17).
    doi: 10.3390/ani13172799pubmed: 37685063google scholar: lookup
  2. Mukai K, Ohmura H, Takahashi Y, Kitaoka Y, Takahashi T. Four weeks of high-intensity training in moderate, but not mild hypoxia improves performance and running economy more than normoxic training in horses. Physiol Rep 2021 Feb;9(4):e14760.
    doi: 10.14814/phy2.14760pubmed: 33611843google scholar: lookup
  3. Mukai K, Ohmura H, Matsui A, Aida H, Takahashi T, Jones JH. High-intensity training in normobaric hypoxia enhances exercise performance and aerobic capacity in Thoroughbred horses: A randomized crossover study. Physiol Rep 2020 May;8(10):e14442.
    doi: 10.14814/phy2.14442pubmed: 32441408google scholar: lookup
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