Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2025
Instrumentation of Near-term Fetal Sheep for Multivariate Chronic Non-anesthetized Recordings
Published on: October 25, 2015
Relationships between total adiponectin concentrations and obesity in native-breed ponies in England
Marine A Barnabé1, Jonathan Elliott2, Patricia A Harris3
1Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, UK.
Background:
Equine metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors associated with an increased risk of endocrinopathic laminitis. All affected animals display insulin dysregulation and some may show adiponectin dysregulation and/or excessive adiposity. However, the relationship between obesity and hypoadiponectinaemia in equids remains unclear.
Objectives:
To investigate the relationship between obesity and circulating plasma total adiponectin (TA) concentrations in native-breed ponies in England.
Study Design:
Secondary data analysis.
Methods:
Data collected for three previous studies were retrospectively analysed and cohorts were pooled where possible (maximum sample size: n = 734 ponies). Correlations between [TA], age, and morphometric measures were assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. [TA] was compared between animals of different body condition score (BCS) classification (ideal-weight, overweight, and obese), breed, and body shape using Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn's post hoc tests, and sex using Mann-Whitney U test. The proportions of obese and ideal-weight ponies with basal hyperinsulinaemia and/or hypoadiponectinaemia were compared using a Chi-square test of homogeneity and post hoc z-test. Logistic regression was used to identify factors that may discriminate ponies with hypoadiponectinaemia.
Results:
[TA] was weakly positively correlated with BCS, height, weight, and weight:height ratio (Spearman's ρ = 0.14-0.29, p < 0.05). There were significant differences in [TA] in ponies with different BCS group classification, body shape, and breed. A greater percentage of obese (54.6%) than ideal-weight ponies (33.1%, p < 0.001) had both normal [TA] and [basal insulin], and a greater percentage of ideal-weight (38.6%) than obese ponies (16.5%, p < 0.001) showed hypoadiponectinaemia. Weight:height and BCS group were significant variables in a logistic regression of hypoadiponectinaemia but model fit and predictive accuracy were poor.
Main Limitations:
Retrospective study design, only native-breed ponies included.
Conclusions:
Morphometric measures such as BCS do not closely reflect [TA]. Circulating [TA] and [basal insulin] should be determined in all animals with predisposing factors, regardless of obesity status.
