Influence of Short and Medium Distance Road Transport on the Acute Phase Proteins in Horses.
Authors: Carvalho Filho Wilson Pinheiro de, Souto Pollyanna Cordeiro, Orozco Andrés Mauricio Ortega, Jiménez Ana Karina Argumedo, Girardi Fabricia Modolo, Bento Lucas Drumond, Fonseca Leandro Abreu da
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Acute Phase Proteins and Equine Transport Road transport is widely recognised as a stressor for horses, yet the physiological threshold at which transport triggers a measurable acute phase response remains poorly defined. Researchers collected serum samples from horses before, immediately after, and up to 144 hours following either 50 km or 300 km journeys, using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) to identify eight acute phase proteins including haptoglobin, α1-acid glycoprotein, ceruloplasmin, and apolipoprotein alpha 1. Contrary to expectations, neither distance significantly altered acute phase protein concentrations at any timepoint, with no statistical differences observed between the two transport distances or across the sampling intervals from immediately post-transport through 144 hours recovery. These findings suggest that moderate road transport distances—at least up to 300 km—may not be sufficiently physiologically demanding to provoke measurable changes in serum acute phase markers, implying that horses possess substantial metabolic reserve under typical transport conditions. For practitioners, this provides reassurance that routine short to medium-distance transport, when conducted with appropriate welfare standards, is unlikely to precipitate acute systemic inflammation detectable through these proteomic markers, though this does not preclude other stress-related consequences such as dehydration, fatigue, or behavioural changes warrant continued attention.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Short to medium distance road transport (50–300 km) does not appear to trigger detectable systemic acute phase protein changes in horses, suggesting these journeys may be less physiologically stressful than previously assumed
- •Current acute phase protein markers may not be sensitive enough to detect stress responses to routine transport, or transport stress manifests through different physiological pathways
- •Veterinarians and transporters should not rely on acute phase protein elevation as a marker of transport-induced stress in horses undergoing journeys of this distance
Key Findings
- •Eight acute phase proteins were identified in horse serum via SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: α2-macroglobulin, ceruloplasmin, transferrin, albumin, α1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, apolipoprotein alpha 1, and α1-acid glycoprotein
- •No significant differences in acute phase protein concentrations were observed between 50 km and 300 km transport distances
- •No significant changes in acute phase protein values occurred across nine sampling timepoints (T0 to T8) spanning from pre-transport through 144 hours post-transport
- •Road distances of 50 km and 300 km were insufficient to provoke a measurable acute phase response in horses