Metabolomic Profiles in Starved Light Breed Horses during the Refeeding Process.
Authors: Main Sawyer C, Brown Lindsay P, Melvin Kelly R, Campagna Shawn R, Voy Brynn H, Castro Hector F, Strickland Lewrell G, Hines Melissa T, Jacobs Robert D, Gordon Mary E, Ivey Jennie L Z
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Severely malnourished horses present a significant welfare challenge within the equine industry, yet the metabolic disturbances accompanying starvation and the biochemical trajectory during nutritional rehabilitation remain poorly characterised. Researchers tracked ten emaciated horses throughout their recovery programme, collecting blood samples at regular intervals and analysing them via standard clinical chemistry panels alongside advanced metabolomics profiling (UHPLC-HRMS), which identifies and quantifies hundreds of circulating metabolic compounds beyond routine diagnostics. Two distinct metabolic phases emerged: the critical care period (days 1–10) displayed marked abnormalities in potentially toxic compounds, liver and kidney function markers, and muscle-related metabolites, whilst the subsequent recovery period showed progressive normalisation of these parameters and energy metabolism indicators. These findings demonstrate that refeeding triggers profound, measurable shifts across the metabolic landscape—knowledge that could inform more targeted nutritional protocols and help practitioners identify at-risk individuals during the vulnerable early rehabilitation window. Understanding these metabolomic fingerprints may refine our ability to monitor recovery adequacy beyond traditional clinical chemistry and tailor feeding strategies to support optimal tissue repair and systemic stabilisation in severely compromised horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Metabolomic monitoring during refeeding of starved horses can identify toxic compound accumulation and organ stress, enabling earlier intervention to prevent refeeding complications
- •The critical care period (first 10 days) represents a distinctly different metabolic phase requiring careful management; standard blood chemistry alone may miss important metabolic derangements detected by metabolomics
- •Rehabilitation success depends on understanding that refeeding dramatically reshapes equine metabolism beyond simple caloric restoration, suggesting individualized feeding protocols may improve outcomes
Key Findings
- •Ten emaciated horses showed significant differences in blood chemistry analytes and metabolite abundance between critical care period (Days 1-10) and recovery period of rehabilitation
- •Potentially toxic compounds, liver, kidney, and muscle function markers, and energy-related metabolites were significantly altered during the refeeding process
- •Metabolomic profiling via UHPLC-HRMS revealed that nutritional rehabilitation has substantial impact on the equine metabolome
- •Combined blood chemistry and metabolomics analysis provides vital biological insight into metabolic changes during equine nutritional rehabilitation