Publication Database

Evaluation of the diagnostic value of asymmetric dimethylarginine for use as cardiac biomarker in horses and its assessment in endurance horses competing at 160 km (2022)

Art

Hochschulschrift

Autor

Ertelt, Antonia (WE 17)

Quelle

Berlin: Mensch & Buch Verlag, 2022 — IV, 59 Seiten

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://refubium.fu-berlin.de/handle/fub188/35688

Kontakt

Pferdeklinik

Oertzenweg 19 b
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62299 / 62300
pferdeklinik@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is a well-established cardiac biomarker in humans. The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate if measuring serum ADMA concentration via ELISA allows detection of cardiac disease in horses. In this context, ADMA reference values in horses were established. Furthermore, a change in ADMA serum concentration before and after a 160 km endurance race was assessed and the differences in ADMA concentration between horses that completed the race and horses that did not was evaluated. For this propose 78 horses with no known medical history were compared to 23 horses with confirmed structural cardiac disease with or without arrhythmias. Horses with heart disease were staged based on the severity of cardiac disease from I to II. Furthermore, 52 healthy endurance horses competing in a 160 km race were assessed. The endurance horses were assigned to three groups: horses that successfully completed the race, horses that failed to qualify at the veterinary check for primarily metabolic reasons and horses that failed to qualify at the veterinary check for primarily gait related reasons. The latter two groups were combined to form a final group of “non-finishers” that were excluded for either “gait related” or “metabolic” disorders. Horses underwent physical examination, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and venous blood sampling. In the endurances horses venous blood samples were taken before and after the endurance race. Asymmetric dimethylarginine was measured via ELISA, with a subset cross-checked using liquid chromatograph triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Reference intervals with 90th percent confidence intervals were established according to ASVCP-guidelines. Standard software was used to test for significant differences in ADMA, and the L-arginine/ADMA ratio between groups. The reference range for ADMA in healthy horses was 1.7 - 3.8 μmol/L. Serum ADMA was higher in horses with heart disease compared to healthy horses (p<0.01) and highest in horses with stage II heart disease (p=0.02). However, only a few horses with stage II heart disease exceeded the reference range. The L-Arginine/ADMA ratio was significantly lower in healthy animals than in those with cardiac disease (p=0.001). ADMA (p=0.002) increased significantly after the endurance race in the finisher group. The longer the completed distance the higher was the ADMA concentration. No differences between the groups “finisher”, “metabolic” or “gait related” could be found. This study confirms the association between heart disease and increased serum ADMA concentration as well as a decreased L-Arginine/ADMA ratio in horses. Regardless of clinical assessment, there was a strong correlation between ADMA concentration and the completed distance in endurance horses. Our results did not support our hypothesis that ADMA would be higher before racing or increase more after racing in horses that failed to complete the race. Although the physiological reasons for higher serum ADMA concentration in horses with cardiac disease and horses completing a 160 km endurance race remain elusive, this study demonstrates that ADMA is a promising biomarker not just in humans, but also shows diagnostic potential in identifying cardiac disease respectively cardiac stress in horses under routine conditions.