Biochemical serum profile of equines subjected to team penning

Understanding the biochemical changes associated with various types of exercises is important, since they affect the function of different systems and the type of energy used. Analyzed separately, the clinical signs of distinct muscular alterations have a limited diagnostic value and require the use of complementary laboratory exams. Such exams are also used to evaluate the animal’s training, clinical state or athletic capacity. This study determined the serum concentrations of proteins, metabolites, minerals and serum enzymes in equines subjected to team penning contests, correlating these data with sex and frequency of physical activity. A puncture was made in the external jugular vein to collect 5 mL of blood from 29 equines, 18 males and 11 females, at rest (Group I) and after exercising (Group II). The biochemical serum analyses were carried out with a Micronal B-280 spectrophotometer using commercial kits and an automatic multichannel analyzer (Abbott Diagnostics—ARCHITECT c8000) using specific kits. The animals were divided into Groups A, B, C and D according to the number of times they participated in the contest. The serum albumin concentrations, A:G ratio and iron declined significantly (p < 0.05) after exercising, unlike the concentrations of total proteins, globulins, total calcium, uric acid, urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase (CK), which increased. Females showed a higher increase of creatinine. Moreover, the rise in total protein, globulins, creatinine, AST, LDH and CK levels differed among groups A, B, C, and D. It was concluded that the team penning contest causes alterations in the biochemical serum profile of equines, and that sex and the number of participations in the contest are interferential variables.

Renata Lima de MirandaEmail: