Measurement of Plasma Resistin Concentrations in Horses with Metabolic and Inflammatory Disorders.
Authors: Fuentes-Romero Beatriz, Muñoz-Prieto Alberto, Cerón José J, Martín-Cuervo María, Iglesias-García Manuel, Aguilera-Tejero Escolástico, Díez-Castro Elisa
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Plasma Resistin as an Inflammatory Marker in Equine Metabolic Disease Resistin has emerged as a potentially useful biomarker in human medicine for identifying inflammatory states, yet its diagnostic value in equine practice remains poorly characterised. Fuentes-Romero and colleagues measured plasma resistin concentrations across 72 horses stratified into four groups—healthy controls, those with inflammatory conditions, mild insulin dysregulation (ID), and severe ID—to determine whether resistin reflects metabolic dysfunction or inflammatory status. The researchers found that resistin concentrations differed significantly between groups, with the highest values in horses with inflammatory conditions (6.85 ± 8.38 ng/mL) and severe ID (4.49 ± 3.08 ng/mL), compared to healthy controls (2.38 ± 1.69 ng/mL); notably, resistin showed no correlation with basal insulin but demonstrated a significant positive correlation with serum amyloid A (r = 0.336, p = 0.002), a well-established inflammatory marker. These findings parallel human data and suggest that in horses, resistin functions primarily as an inflammatory indicator rather than a direct marker of insulin dysregulation, with elevations in severe ID cases likely reflecting the secondary inflammatory burden of metabolic syndrome rather than metabolic dysfunction per se. Practitioners should consider resistin measurement as a complementary inflammatory biomarker alongside traditional assessments, particularly when evaluating horses with suspected metabolic syndrome where distinguishing primary metabolic from secondary inflammatory contributions remains clinically challenging.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Resistin measurement may be useful as a biomarker for inflammatory status in horses with metabolic conditions, but should not be used as a standalone indicator of insulin dysregulation severity
- •Horses presenting with metabolic syndrome should be evaluated for concurrent inflammatory conditions, as resistin elevations suggest inflammation-driven pathology rather than pure metabolic dysfunction
- •Serum amyloid A measurement alongside resistin may provide complementary inflammatory markers for monitoring horses with metabolic and inflammatory disorders
Key Findings
- •Plasma resistin concentrations were significantly elevated in horses with inflammatory conditions (6.85 ± 8.38 ng/mL) and severe insulin dysregulation (4.49 ± 3.08 ng/mL) compared to healthy controls (2.38 ± 1.69 ng/mL)
- •Resistin showed significant positive correlation with serum amyloid A (r = 0.336, p = 0.002), indicating association with inflammatory status
- •Plasma resistin was not correlated with basal insulin concentrations, suggesting resistin reflects inflammatory rather than metabolic status in horses
- •Elevated resistin in severe insulin dysregulation appears secondary to inflammatory status associated with metabolic syndrome, paralleling human physiology