Exploring the interplay of oxidative stress markers and autonomic regulation in overweight horses subjected to aerobic exercise

Siqueira, R.F.; Teixeira, M.S.; Perez, F.P.

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-13359

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Original Article - Veterinary Medicine • Arq. Bras. Med. Vet. Zootec. 77 (5) • Sep-Oct 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4162-13359 linkcopy

Exploring the interplay of oxidative stress markers and autonomic regulation in overweight horses subjected to aerobic exercise

[Explorando a interação entre marcadores de estresse oxidativo e regulação autonômica em cavalos com sobrepeso submetidos a exercício aeróbico]

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

This study investigated the interaction between oxidative metabolism markers and autonomic regulation in overweight horses during aerobic exercise. Sixteen overweight, castrated Criollo horses were included in the survey, with eight horses in the control group and eight subjected to a 12-session basic training protocol. The horses were evaluated at rest and at the end of each subsequent week, measuring parameters such as heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), and cresty neck score (CNS). Blood samples were collected simultaneously, with plasma analyses including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total glutathione (GSH). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme activity were assessed in serum. Significant reductions in body weight, thoracic circumference, and body condition scores were observed in the trained group. There was a transient increase in ROS during the initial phase of training, followed by normalization. Increased glutathione and TBARS levels indicated positive metabolic adaptations without signs of oxidative stress. Initially, sympathetic nervous system activity was stimulated, followed by a restored parasympathetic balance by the end of the program, indicating beneficial physiological responses to exercise. Stable BChE levels throughout the study supported the absence of excessive oxidative or inflammatory stress. Strong correlations among oxidative metabolism markers, autonomic nervous system indices, and body fat parameters suggest that exercise-induced fat loss is linked to oxidative metabolism and changes in autonomic function. This research significantly advances our understanding of physiological adaptations in horses during exercise, making a substantial contribution to equine exercise physiology.

Keywords:
adiposity; equine; heart rate variability; oxidative metabolism; physical adaptation

		T0	T4	p
	CG	448±2.42	452±2.48^a	0.776
BW (kg)	EG	455±2.42^A	395±2.56^B,b	0.001
	p	0.824	<0.001
	CG	168±1.56	168±1.58^a	0.889
GC (cm)	EG	169±1.58^A	159±1.60^B,b	0.002
	p	0.888	<0.001
	CG	6.20±0.32	6.20±0.38^a	0.912
BCS	EG	6.23±0.81^A	4.88±0.32^B,b	<0.001
	p	0.782	<.001
	CG	3.8±0.20	3.8±0.40^a	0.788
CNS	EG	3.8±0.44^A	2.4±0.52^B,b	<0.001
	p	0.910	<0.001

		T0	T1	T2	T3	T4	p
TBARS nMol MDA/mg of protein	CG	4.12±1.00	4.28±1.12	4.16±1.10b	4.20±1.08b	4.22±1.20	0.778
	EG	4.07±1.07B	3.92±1.96B	6.13±1.94A,a	5.64±1.08A,a	4.85±1.10B	<0.001
	p	0.698	0.342	<0.001	<0.001	0.623
ROS nM DCFO/mL	CG	198±1.98	196±1.88b	198±1.86a	199±1.99a	1.96±1.89a	0.887
	EG	196±2.04B	587±2.70A,a	165±1.05B,b	129±1.34C,b	139±1.80C,b	<0.001
	p	0.892	<0.001	0.032	0.010	0.012
GSH nMol CDNB/min/mg protein	CG	72.4±1.68	72.8±1.86	71.9±1.82	72.4±1.69	73.0±1.58	0.897
	EG	74.6±1.72B	128.6±1.51A	119.4±1.81A	77.0±1.77B	74.9±1.53B	0.032
	p	0.888	<0.001	0.020	0.676	0.689
BChE µmol /min/mg of protein	CG	10.4±0.21	10.8±0.44	10.4±0.28	10.2±0.41	10.4±0.32	0.789
	EG	10.6±0.12	11.1±0.15	11.7±0.36	10.8±1.05	11.7±0.80	0.663
	p	0.892	0.669	0.847	0.766	0.698

		T0	T1	T2	T3	T4	p
HR (bpm)	CG	40.8±1.20	41.4±1.18^b	40.1±1.22	40.6±1.32	41.4±0.18	0.887
	EG	41.9± 2.42^C	124.3±2.40^B,a	143.3±2.44^A,a	141.2±2.42^A,a	127.4± 2.29^B,a	<0.001
	p	0.688	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
HRmax (bpm)	CG	42.8±1.42	41.88±1.28^b	42.04±1.36^b	42.44±1.86^b	42.44±1.29^b	0.823
	EG	43.2± 1.40^D	137.8± 2.38^C,a	155.2±2.49^B,a	166.5± 2.63^A,a	155.7±2.56^B,a	0.007
	p	0.789	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
PNSi	CG	6.48±1.02	6.22±1.01^b	6.34±1.12^b	6.01±1.22^a	6.24±1.08	0.728
	EG	6.85±1.09^B	12.51±2.46^A,a	9.00±1.07^AB,a	2.27±0.06^C,b	12.11 (11.57)^A	<0.001
	p	0.822	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
SNSi	CG	-2.38±0.23	-2.10±0.43^b	-2.24±0.28^b	-2.33±0.26^b	-2.34±0.41^b	0.632
	EG	-2.48±0.20^D	-0.74±0.79^C,a	0.14±0.02^B,a	0.73±0.08^A,a	-0,26±0.04^D,a	<0.001
	p	0.723	0.002	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001

		TBARS	ROS	PNSi	SNSi	Weight	BCS
TBARS	r	-- --	-- --	-- --	-- --
TBARS	p	-- --	-- --	-- --	-- --
ROS	r	-0.045 0.814	-- --	-- --	-- --
ROS	p	-0.045 0.814	-- --	-- --	-- --
PNSi	r	-0.303 0.104	0.852* <0.001	-- --	-- --
PNSi	p	-0.303 0.104	0.852* <0.001	-- --	-- --
SNSi	r	0.875* <0.001	-0.132 0.487	-0.322 0.082	-- --
SNSi	p	0.875* <0.001	-0.132 0.487	-0.322 0.082	-- --
BW	r	-0.859*	-0.072	0.025	-0.973*	--
	p	0.001	0.705	0.897	<0.001	--
BCS	r	-0.895*	0.185	0.331	-0.828*	0.910*
	p	<0.001	0.327	0.074	<0.001	<0.001
CNS	r	-0.859*	-0.019	0.196	-0.936*	0.886*	0.919*
	p	<0.001	0.919	0.299	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001

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Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinária Caixa Postal 567, 30123-970 Belo Horizonte MG - Brazil, Tel.: (55 31) 3409-2041, Tel.: (55 31) 3409-2042 - Belo Horizonte - MG - Brazil
E-mail: abmvz.artigo@gmail.com

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[TFN1] Abbreviations: CG (control group), EG (exercise group), BW (body weight), GC(girth circumference), BCS (body condition score), CNS (cresty neck score). Different capital letters mean differences (p<0.05) among columns (time points), and different lowercase letters mean differences (p<0.05) among lines (CG and EG).