ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Comparative and Clinical Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1591090
This article is part of the Research TopicBiomarkers of Health and Disease in Veterinary Science - Volume IIView all 7 articles
Investigations on Metabolic Diseases of Horses in Egypt
Provisionally accepted
- 1Animal Reproduction and AI department, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, postal code 12622, Egypt, Ad Dokki, Egypt
- 2Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, postal code 12622, Egypt, Doki, Giza, Egypt
- 3Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
- 4Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Aswan University, Aswan, Aswan, Egypt
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Obesity has become an important risk factor predisposing to laminitis, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, arthritis, heart disease, and respiratory issues in horses. Mares showing overweight or laminitis (N=30), different BCS (N=90) weighing 350-550 Kg were subjected to clinical and rump fat assessments. Blood samples were collected to measure circulating estradiol, progesterone, cortisol, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and leptin.Glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, total proteins, albumin, nitric oxide (NO), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutathione reduced, catalase, and serum amyloid A were measured.Statistical comparisons between mares relied on laminitis, hyperinsulinemia, overweight, hyperinsulinemia-overweight, and rump fat. Results revealed that laminitis associated lower glucose (4.83±0.16 vs 5.56±0.52 mmol/L; P=0.002) and body weight (380.0±10.95 vs 447.6±65.98 kg; P=0.02), higher albumin (3.78±0.01vs3.11±0.62 g/dl; P=0.015), catalase (193.64±69.29 vs 37.45±7.57U/ml; P=0.001), IGF-1 (29.35±17.31 vs 20.29±6.48 ng/ml; P=0.043), and Glucose/Insulin ratio (0.77±0.68 vs 0.44±0.030; P>0.05). Obesity (>450 Kg) increased glucose (5.60± 0.54 vs 5.15 ±0.39 nmol/L; P=0.018), lowered IGF-1 (16.44±4.51 vs 28.24±3.90 ng/ml; P<0.001), albumin (2.98±0.67 vs 3.46±0.53 g/dl; P=0.041), albumin/globulin ratio (0.72±0.07 vs 0.98±0.11; P=0.048), and glucose/insulin ratio (0.34±0.14 vs 0.71±0.58; P=0.009). Hyperinsulinemia (>20 µU/L) declined albumin (2.67±0.59 vs 3.56±0.37 g/dl; P= 0.0001), albumin/globulin ratio (0.57±0.24 vs 1.01±0.32 g/dl; P=0.0001 ), catalase (17.23±2.24 vs 100.67±30.99 U/mL; P=0.021 ), NO (19.23±2.24 vs 21.35±1.29 mmol/ml; P=0.002), glucose (5.44±0.53 vs 5.61±0.38mmol/L; P=0.038), and glucose/insulin ratio (0.18±0.04 vs 0.72±0.41; P=0.0001), and increased globulin (5.02±1.02 vs 3.85±1.10 g/dl; P=0.0001). Hyperinsulinemia-Obesity decreased (P= 0.0001) albumin, albumin/globulin, IGF-1, increased LDH, NO, globulins (P= 0.006). NO levels declined (P=0.0001) in hyperinsulinemia-light mares. In conclusion, obesity assessed by rump fat or overweight is not always associated with hyperinsulinemia or metabolic or endocrinologic abnormalities in mares. Hyperinsulinemia is not always associated with obesity but is related to insulin resistance and dysregulation.
Keywords: Cushing's disease, MARES, Insulin, Glucose, Nitric Oxide, Antioxidants
Received: 10 Mar 2025; Accepted: 24 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aboelmaaty, Ahdy, Elkhodery and Gioushy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Amal M. Aboelmaaty, Animal Reproduction and AI department, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, postal code 12622, Egypt, Ad Dokki, Egypt
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