G.H. Cook Abstract: Detection of Metabolic Markers in Young Horses Affected with Osteochondrosis Dissecans
Katharine Ziegler
| Osteochondrosis
Dissecans (OCD) is a common developmental orthopedic problem in horses.
It is due to a disturbance in endochondral ossification that results in
defects in the cartilage of joint surfaces. Nutritional imbalances,
exercise and genetic predisposition linked to insulin sensitivity all
have been implicated as potential causes with no clear definition of
the underlying metabolic causes. Metabonomic analysis of Nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of serum taken from 20 pairs of
closely related, yearling Standardbred horses, one of each pair had had
hock OCD lesions surgically corrected (OCD), the other had no
radiographic evidence of lesions (Control), showed a difference
(P<0.05) between the metabolite profiles of OCD and Control horses.
All horses had had the same nutrition regime, exercise, management and
environment since birth. The hypothesis is that the differences seen
initially will be repeatable and correlated with alterations in
glucose/insulin metabolism. In this study serum, plasma and white blood
cells were collected from 40 matched pairs of yearling Standardbreds
from the same farm as the preliminary study under the same conditions
as before. Serum samples will be analyzed by NMR spectroscopy with the
resultant spectra subjected to metabonomic analyses using principle
component analyses to determine metabolic differences between the two
groups of horses and spectra from the preliminary study. White blood
cells were submitted for genomic analysis to look for potential
hereditary indicators of the differing metabonomic profiles. Resting
plasma glucose and insulin concentrations did not differ between the
two groups. By confirming consistent differences in a larger number of
horses, and discovering what pathways have been affected based on the
results, we may be able to identify foals at risk before lesions
develop and devise preventative nutritional treatments for OCD. |
Equine Science Center
Rutgers University
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