Serum lipid and lipoprotein parameters of Turkman horses

Lipid transport systems in animals have been evaluated both as experimental models for lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in humans and to gain insight into the lipid metabolism of specific breeds. The Turkman horse is a pure-blooded horse that lives on the margins of the Caspian Basin; information about serum lipids and lipoproteins in this breed is lacking.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate serum lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in clinically healthy Turkman horses.

Concentrations of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and lipoprotein electrophoretic patterns were determined in serum samples from 48 Turkman horses of both sexes and 0-12 years of age. Results were analyzed by 1-way ANOVA.

In both sexes and all age groups, the relative percentages of LDL-C (44.2-64.3%) were higher than those of HDL-C (29.7-47.1%) and VLDL-C (5.9-9.0%). Serum concentrations of TG and TC were significantly higher in male (0.45 +/- 0.12 mmol/L; 2.70 +/- 0.45 mmol/L) than in female (0.34 +/- 0.1 mmol/L; 2.15 +/- 0.3 mmol/L) horses in most age groups. The relative percentages of alpha- and beta-lipoproteins in electrophoretic tracings were 62.77 +/- 5.05% and 36.67 +/- 4.29%, respectively.

Serum lipid and lipoprotein values in Turkman horses differ from those of other equine breeds, and may be useful for evaluating metabolic diseases in this species.