Dataset Information

Age and Body Condition Influence the Post-Prandial Interleukin-1β Response to a High-Starch Meal in Horses.

ABSTRACT: Older horses and those prone to obesity may be at a higher risk for inflammation than younger and leaner counterparts. Previous research indicated a postprandial elevation in plasma concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, after consuming 1.2 g of non-structural carbohydrates/kilogram of body weight. However, these studies utilized horses of mixed age and body condition. The current study evaluated post-prandial IL-1β concentrations in horses specifically comparing lean to over-conditioned and middle aged to older. Our results suggest that at least two weeks of daily consumption of a high non-structural carbohydrate diet is required to induce a post-prandial increase in IL-1β concentrations in younger and leaner horses. In opposition to this, older and over-conditioned horses experience plasma increased on the first day of feeding and thereafter. Feeding management practices of older and over-conditioned individuals should emphasize lower non-structural carbohydrate intakes and further research should elucidate mechanisms of IL-1β activation.

SUBMITTER: Suagee-Bedore J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8698138 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Age and Body Condition Influence the Post-Prandial Interleukin-1β Response to a High-Starch Meal in Horses.

Suagee-Bedore Jessica J Shost Nichola N Miller Christian C Grado Luis L Bechelli Jeremy J

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20211124 12

Older horses and those prone to obesity may be at a higher risk for inflammation than younger and leaner counterparts. Previous research indicated a postprandial elevation in plasma concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, after consuming 1.2 g of non-structural carbohydrates/kilogram of body weight. However, these studies utilized horses of mixed age and body condition. The current study evaluated post-prandial IL-1β concentrations in horses specifically comparing ...[more]

PMID: 34944138

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Project description:BackgroundEquine obesity is a significant health and welfare concern. The proportion of domestic horse populations that are overweight are as high as 45%. As the primary decision-makers for their horses' care, owners are theoretically ideally placed to identify whether their horses are appropriately conditioned, however, research in other countries has shown that many owners are unable to accurately judge their horse's body condition. In this study, through the comparison of body condition scoring (BCS) performed by an expert and the horse owners and interviews with owners, we aimed to identify the proportion of horses that were overweight or obese, to assess the accuracy of horse owners' BCS assessment both prior to and after receiving information and instructions on body condition scoring, and to identify common themes amongst owners' views regarding BCS assessment and the Henneke BCS system.ResultsForty-five percent of the horses in this study were overweight or obese. The agreement between the owners and an equine veterinarian regarding the horses' BCS was fair to good both prior to (κ = .311, P < 0.001; ICC = .502, P < 0.001) and after (κ = .381, P < 0.001; ICC = .561, P < 0.001) receiving information and instructions on scoring. Three quarters of the owners who took part in the study did not use any method of monitoring their horse's body condition. Thematic analysis of owner responses was varied, with the most common theme being an awareness of the need to monitor or make changes to their horse's condition with responses in this theme split between owners who felt in control and those who did not. Owner feedback on the utility and useability of the scorning system was that it was useful however parts are too technical or need improvement.ConclusionsEquine obesity is a significant problem in this population in Ireland. Horse owners' ability to accurately judge their horse's condition does not improve with provision of instructions on body condition scoring. These results combined with owners' feedback on the Henneke BCS system indicate that it is not a tool that can be reliably used by owners.

Project description:In species with parental care behaviors, parents may adjust the intensity and duration of their care if fluctuation in factors such as environmental variables or body condition affects offspring survival. In the face of environmental changes, many egg-laying species remain with their clutch for extended periods if this behavioral adjustment provides tangible benefits to the offspring. However, the length of time parents stay with the offspring may also differ depending on the individual's body condition. In the glass frog family (Centrolenidae), several species exhibit long-term egg attendance in which they remain with their clutch for several days after oviposition takes place. For some of them, changes in environmental variables lead to increased parental care efforts. For the species in which parents remain with their offspring for a short period (less than 24 hours), it is less clear if this constitutes parenting behavior, and whether parents adjust their efforts as a function of environmental change or the parent's body condition remains unexplored. We studied a population of the Emerald Glass Frog, Espadarana prosoblepon, a species that exhibits a short period of quiescence after oviposition (less than three hours). Our study aimed to determine whether females alter the length of their post-oviposition quiescence period in response to changes in environmental variables (i.e., temperature, humidity, rainfall, and mean wind speed) or female body condition. Pairs in amplexus were captured in the field and transported to semi-natural enclosures to record the duration of post-oviposition quiescence using infrared cameras. Females' post-oviposition quiescence lasted an average of 67.4 ± 26.6 min (range = 22.7-158.3 min). We did not find a significant relationship between the duration of the post-oviposition quiescence and any of the environmental variables tested. Similarly, post-oviposition quiescence duration was not influenced by female body condition. Because the variation observed in the duration of post-oviposition quiescence was not related to changes in extrinsic (environmental) or intrinsic (body condition) factors, we found no evidence that females of E. prosoblepon modify their post-oviposition behavior in response to any of the variables examined in this study. Future research investigating the adaptive significance of the post-oviposition quiescence observed in this species is needed to understand how this behavior is related to parental care efforts.

Dataset Information

Age and Body Condition Influence the Post-Prandial Interleukin-1β Response to a High-Starch Meal in Horses.

Publications

Age and Body Condition Influence the Post-Prandial Interleukin-1β Response to a High-Starch Meal in Horses.

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