Effect of the Administration of a Nutraceutical Supplement in Racehorses with Lower Airway Inflammation.
Authors: Stucchi Luca, Lo Feudo Chiara Maria, Stancari Giovanni, Conturba Bianca, Ferrucci Francesco
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
Mild-to-moderate equine asthma (MEA) represents a persistent challenge in racehorses, causing lower airway inflammation, mucus accumulation, cough and performance decline, with management typically relying on pharmaceuticals and stable modifications. Researchers administered a commercial herbal nutraceutical supplement containing multiple plant extracts to seven affected Thoroughbreds for 21 days alongside environmental management, whilst five control horses received environmental modifications alone; all animals were assessed before and after the intervention using clinical scoring, endoscopic examination and bronchoalveolar lavage cytology. The supplemented group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in clinical score (p < 0.0156) and tracheal mucus accumulation (p < 0.0156), suggesting the antioxidant constituents within the formulation actively reduced inflammatory burden in the lower airways. For practitioners managing racehorses with MEA, these findings indicate that targeted antioxidant supplementation may offer a useful adjunct to conventional therapeutic strategies, potentially enhancing recovery without relying solely on pharmacological intervention. Whilst the relatively small sample size warrants larger-scale validation, the results provide preliminary evidence that certain herbal supplements merit consideration as part of a multimodal approach to managing lower airway inflammation in performance horses.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •A herbal extract-based nutraceutical supplement may offer meaningful clinical benefit for racehorses with mild-moderate asthma when combined with environmental management
- •Antioxidant supplementation could be considered as an adjunctive therapy to environmental modifications in managing lower airway inflammation
- •Clinical signs and airway mucus accumulation can be objectively monitored through endoscopy and cytology to assess treatment response
Key Findings
- •Nutraceutical supplement administration for 21 days produced significant reduction in clinical score (p < 0.0156) compared to environmental management alone
- •Tracheal mucus score significantly reduced (p < 0.0156) with supplement plus environmental changes
- •Supplement demonstrated beneficial effects on lower airway inflammation likely through antioxidant activity
- •7 of 12 racehorses receiving supplement showed clinically measurable improvement in airway function