Clustering and Correlations amongst NEFA, Selected Adipokines and Morphological Traits-New Insights into Equine Metabolic Syndrome.
Authors: Daradics Zsofia, Niculae Mihaela, Crecan Cristian Mihăiță, Lupșan Alexandru Florin, Rus Mirela Alexandra, Andrei Sanda, Ciobanu Dana Mihaela, Cătoi Florinela Adriana, Pop Ioana Delia, Mircean Mircea Valerian, Cătoi Cornel
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Equine metabolic syndrome remains challenging to diagnose reliably in practice, partly because we lack robust biomarkers comparable to those established in human medicine. Researchers in Romania investigated whether adipokines—specifically omentin and chemerin—alongside non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) could serve as clinically useful markers by examining their relationships with traditional morphological assessments (body condition score and cresty neck score) in horses with metabolic dysfunction. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and statistical clustering analysis, they identified moderate positive correlations between NEFA and both bodyweight and cresty neck score, suggesting that circulating NEFA reflects regional adiposity patterns; omentin also correlated significantly with cresty neck score, indicating potential value as an adiposity indicator. The hierarchical clustering analysis revealed distinct groupings of horses based on metabolic and morphological parameters, suggesting heterogeneity within the metabolic syndrome population. These findings propose that adipokine profiling—particularly NEFA, chemerin, and omentin—warrants further investigation across diverse horse breeds as a complementary diagnostic approach, potentially enabling earlier identification and more targeted management of metabolic dysfunction before overt clinical signs emerge.
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Practical Takeaways
- •NEFA levels may serve as a practical biomarker for identifying metabolic dysfunction in overweight horses, complementing visual assessment tools like body condition and cresty neck scoring
- •Adipokines (omentin and chemerin) warrant investigation as additional diagnostic markers for equine metabolic syndrome across different breeds to improve early detection
- •Clustering analysis revealed distinct metabolic phenotypes; understanding these relationships could help tailor nutritional and management interventions for individual horses
Key Findings
- •NEFA showed significant positive correlations with bodyweight (r=0.322, p=0.006), body condition score (r=0.295, p=0.013), and cresty neck score (r=0.267, p=0.024)
- •Omentin correlated positively with cresty neck score (r=0.234, p=0.049)
- •Total cholesterol correlated positively with bodyweight (r=0.262, p=0.027)
- •NEFA, chemerin, and omentin identified as valuable biomarkers for equine metabolic syndrome assessment