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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Assessment of Murine Exercise Endurance Without the Use of a Shock Grid: An Alternative to Forced Exercise
Published on: August 14, 2014
Exercise-induced up-regulation of MMP-1 and IL-8 genes in endurance horses
Katia Cappelli1, Michela Felicetti, Stefano Capomaccio
1Pathology, Diagnostic and Veterinary Clinic Department, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy. katia.cappelli@unipg.it
Background:
The stress response is a critical factor in the training of equine athletes; it is important for performance and for protection of the animal against physio-pathological disorders.In this study, the molecular mechanisms involved in the response to acute and strenuous exercise were investigated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
Results:
Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect modifications in transcription levels of the genes for matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and interleukin 8 (IL-8), which were derived from previous genome-wide expression analysis. Significant up-regulation of these two genes was found in 10 horses that had completed a race of 90-120 km in a time-course experimental design.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that MMP-1 and IL-8 are both involved in the exercise-induced stress response, and this represents a starting point from which to understand the adaptive responses to this phenomenon.
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