Authors: McGilloway Melissa, Manley Shannon, Aho Alyssa, Heeringa Keisha N, Whitacre Lynsey, Lou Yanping, Squires E James, Pearson Wendy
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Prebiotic Supplementation and Exercise-Induced Gut Permeability in Horses Leaky gut syndrome—characterised by increased gastrointestinal permeability—remains a concern for equine practitioners, yet evidence-based interventions are limited. McGilloway and colleagues investigated whether *Aspergillus oryzae* prebiotic supplementation (0.02 g/kg bodyweight) could mitigate hyperpermeability induced by combined stressors, employing a crossover design with eight horses receiving either supplemented or control diets for 28-day periods separated by washout phases. Using iohexol as an indigestible marker alongside plasma lipopolysaccharide and serum amyloid A measurements, the researchers subjected horses to simulated transport stress followed by moderate-intensity exercise, or kept them sedentary as controls. On Day 0, the combined challenge significantly increased plasma iohexol regardless of diet; however, by Day 28, only control-diet horses showed this hyperpermeability response to exercise, whilst supplemented horses demonstrated complete prevention of increased intestinal permeability. These findings suggest that prebiotic supplementation may offer a practical prophylactic strategy for competition horses, travelling stock, or individuals requiring stress resilience, though practitioners should note the relatively small sample size and consider this as one component within broader gastrointestinal management protocols rather than a standalone solution.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Transport combined with exercise induces temporary intestinal permeability in horses; consider prophylactic prebiotic supplementation for horses facing stressful events
- •Aspergillus oryzae-based prebiotics may reduce leaky gut risk in competition or travelling horses, potentially decreasing secondary health issues from increased intestinal permeability
- •Supplementation at 0.02 g/kg BW appears effective and may be practical to include in feed programs for performance or high-stress horses
Key Findings
- •Combined trailer transport and moderate-intensity exercise significantly increased plasma iohexol (marker of GI permeability) on Day 0 in both feeding groups
- •On Day 28, exercise-induced increase in plasma iohexol occurred only in control-fed horses; supplemented horses showed complete prevention of this response
- •Aspergillus oryzae prebiotic supplement at 0.02 g/kg BW prevented stress-induced gastrointestinal hyperpermeability
- •Sedentary control horses showed no increase in GI permeability markers regardless of feeding group