Changes in Oxidative Status Biomarkers in Saliva and Serum in the Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome and Colic of Intestinal Aetiology: A Pilot Study.
Authors: Contreras-Aguilar María Dolores, Rubio Camila Peres, González-Arostegui Luis Guillermo, Martín-Cuervo María, Cerón Jose J, Ayala Ignacio, Henriksen Ida-Marie Holm, Jacobsen Stine, Hansen Sanni
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
Oxidative stress accompanies many equine gastrointestinal conditions, but most research has focused on serum biomarkers alone; this pilot study validated automated assays for measuring five oxidative status markers (FRAS, FRAP, CUPRAC, TEAC, uric acid, and AOPP) in both saliva and serum, then compared their levels across healthy horses, those with squamous or glandular gastric ulcer disease (ESGD/EGGD), and horses with colic of intestinal origin (CIE). In horses with glandular ulcers specifically, saliva showed elevated FRAS, uric acid, and AOPP that correlated with salivary adenosine deaminase levels, whilst serum uric acid increased significantly in CIE cases and tracked with systemic inflammatory response syndrome status and clinical outcomes. The assays proved reliable and sensitive in both fluids, offering practitioners a potentially non-invasive means of assessing oxidative load and inflammatory burden in horses with these conditions. For equine professionals managing gastric and colonic disease, these findings suggest that saliva-based biomarker panels could complement traditional serum diagnostics and may help differentiate ulcer phenotypes or predict colic severity, though larger validation studies are needed before clinical adoption.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Salivary biomarkers of oxidative stress (particularly uric acid and AOPP in EGGD) may offer a non-invasive diagnostic complement to serum sampling for identifying horses with gastric ulcers
- •Elevated serum uric acid in colic cases correlates with systemic inflammatory status and appears predictive of disease outcome—consider monitoring this parameter in horses with intestinal colic
- •Adenosine deaminase (ADA) measured in saliva shows promise as a marker of glandular gastric disease and may help differentiate EGGD from other conditions when used alongside other oxidative stress biomarkers
Key Findings
- •Automated assays for oxidative status biomarkers (FRAS, FRAP, CUPRAC, TEAC, uric acid, AOPP) showed low imprecision and good linearity in both equine saliva and serum
- •EGGD horses had significantly higher salivary FRAS, uric acid, and AOPP levels compared to healthy controls, correlating with salivary adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels
- •CIE horses demonstrated elevated serum uric acid concentrations associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) status and disease outcome
- •Saliva represents a viable alternative source for measuring oxidative status biomarkers as a non-invasive diagnostic approach in horses with gastric ulcers and colic