title: Antioxidant and haematological biomarkers in different groups of horses supplemented with polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E.
abstract: Oxidative stress has been correlated with pathologies that impair the performance of athlete horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of supplementation with a mixture of polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E on the antioxidant and haematological biomarkers of horses. Horses under maintenance care (n = 6) and horses in training (n = 10) received 100 and 300 ml of the oil mixture respectively. Supplementation was provided for a period of 8 weeks, together with isocaloric inclusion. Blood samples were collected at three time periods (pretest, after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks) to analyse the following: the red blood cell count (RBCc); haemoglobin (Hb); haematocrit (HT); leucocytes; lymphocytes; platelets; the mean corpuscular volume (MCV); the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC); the standard deviation of the red blood cell distribution width (RDW-SD); the coefficient of variation of the red blood cell distribution width (RDW-CV); glutathione peroxidase (GPx); superoxide dismutase (SOD); uric acid (UrAc); total plasma proteins (TPP); and creatine kinase (CK). After the 8 weeks of supplementation, animals under maintenance care exhibited significant increases in SOD, UrAc, the white blood cell count (WBCc), the RDW-SD and the RDW-CV (p < 0.05). The animals in training exhibited increases in GPx, SOD and UrAc (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with polyunsaturated oil and vitamin E increases blood antioxidants among animals under maintenance and in training, with different trends, while contributing to the fight against oxidative stress in each group analysed.
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: S K M
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mélo
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: A I A
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: de Lira
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: de Oliveira Muniz
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.
authors.forename: H E C da C C
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Manso
authors.affiliation: Equine Research Center & Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology for Animal Production, Department of Animal Sciences, Rural Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. hmanso@dz.ufrpe.br.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Manso Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D014810:Vitamin E
keywords: exercise; haematology; horse; oxidative stress