• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.1081-1090
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• 1999

To establish the protocol of a standardized exercise test for evaluating exercise intolerance and degree of fitness in Thoroughbred racehorses, we examined serum lactate concentrations related to exercise intensities using the high speed treadmill. Twelve clinically healthy Thoroughbred racehorses with or without previous training or racing history were assigned to two gorups, fit and unfit group, respectively. The protocol used for the standardized exercise test was consisted of two stages : stage of warm-up and that of acceleration. During the warm-up, the horses exercised 5 min at 1.8m/s and 3 min 3.4m/s without inclination. At the acceleration stage, exercise test was performed at 10% slope and the speed was increased from the initial 5m/s to the maximal speed which each tested horse could keep up with. The speed was increased with incremental steps of 1 m/s every minute. During the last 15 sec of each step, blood samples were collected for serum lactate determination. $V_{max}$(maximal treadmill speed which tested horses could keep up with) of the fit group ($10.93{\pm}0.33m/s$, mean${\pm}$SE, n = 6) was higher than that of the unfit group ($9.52{\pm}0.23m/s$, mean${\pm}$SE, n = 6). Serum lactate concentrations increased exponentially according to exercise intensities. $V_{La4}$(speed producing a serum lactate concentration of 4mmol/l) of the fit group, $6.45{\pm}0.26m/s$, was higher than that of the unfit group, $5.45{\pm}0.23m/s$. $La_{peak}$(peak plasma lactate concentration during the exercise test) was lower in the fit group ($20.34{\pm}1.62mmol/l$ at 1 min after maximal intensity exercise) than in the unfit group ($24.78{\pm}1.09mmol/l$ at 2 min after maximal exercise step). $t_{50%}$(time required for the recovery of lactate concentration to be one-half of $La_{peak}$ after maximal exercise) of the unfit group and the fit group were 40.0 and 18.0 min, respectively. Therefore, the protocol of the incremental standardized exercise test utilized in this study seems to be reliable for the assessment of fitness and exercise intolerance for the Thoroughbred racehorses.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2004

The fused and deformed lumbar vertebrae (L) of Thoroughbred horses were observed macroscopically. Results revealed five L in two cases, and six L in three cases. In two cases, the last two lumbar vertebrae were fused with each other. One case of the fused lumbar vertebra was observed in a horse with five L and the other in that with six L. In one case, the facet of second last lumbar vertebra was articulated with its anterior lumbar vertebra. On the other hand, four cases had the caudal border on the lateral tip of the lumbar transverse process partially overlapped with the cranial border of the following lumbar transverse process. In these cases, cranial and caudal tubers were formed on the overlapped part of the lumbar transverse process.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-82
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• 2006

A 5 years old gelding (Thoroughbred, Equus caballus) had shown severe abdominal pain, colic, after overeating of hay in the feed storage. following through treatment, it subsequently died. Grossly, the large colon was impacted with firm mass of food and congestion of blood vessel in the intestinal wall. There were mild peritonitis and pleuropneumonia. This case demonstrates typical large colon impaction with hard consistence ingesta due to improper management of horse.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.123-126
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• 2024

A seven-month pregnant 15-year-old Thoroughbred mare presented with acute abdominal pain to Jeju National University Equine Hospital. At presentation, a nasogastric intubation revealed 10 L of gastric reflux; rectal palpation and ultrasound revealed dilated loops and thickening of the walls of the small intestine. An exploratory laparotomy revealed strangulation of the small intestine due to a large abdominal mass. The mass was double-ligated and resected blindly due to the short pedicle. An enterectomy was not performed as intestinal motility was detected following the mass removal. Histopathological examination confirmed that the mass was a lipoma, measuring 24 cm × 16 cm × 16 cm in size. On day 8 post-surgery, the mare was discharged without complications. This case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of strangulation of the small intestine by a pedunculated lipoma, thus providing useful information on lipoma in horses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1147-1154
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• 2013

This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidation activity of Jeju crossbred horse (Jeju native horse ${\times}$ thoroughbred) leg bone extracts (HLBE) and its enzyme hydrolysates by determination of 1,1-diphenyl-2picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzo thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). HLBE was extracted with hot water for 24 hr and lyophilized. The lyophilized HLBE was hydrolyzed using multifect PR6L (MP), pepsin (PS), and a pepsin and pancreatin mixture (PSPC) for 4 hr at 60, 50, and $50^{\circ}C$, respectively. The hydrolysates were separated by a molecular weight of 3 kDa more or less. When the yield of HLBE was 100%, the yield of hydrolysates less than 3 kDa of MP, PS, and PSPC was 10.86, 3.26, and 8.00%, respectively. Enzyme hydrolysates with low molecular weight less than 3 kDa in MP and PSPC showed significantly higher DPPH, ABTS radical scavenging activity, and ORAC compared to HLBE and its hydrolysates with more than 3 kDa. However, the FRAP of the hydrolysates less than 3 kDa in PS was significantly higher than in MP. These results suggest that low molecular weight enzyme hydrolysates less than 3 kDa have more powerful antioxidation activity, especially when they are hydrolyzed by MP and PSPC rather than PS. Therefore, low molecular weight enzyme hydrolysates of HLBE hydrolyzed with MP and PSPC have significant potential as antioxidants in the food industry. Further in vivo studies are required to support the antioxidation activities of the hydrolysates in vitro.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1088-1093
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• 2021

Jeju horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a Korean horse breed that has been native to Jeju Island for a long time. Jeju horses are used as racehorses, and their racing ability is a major economic trait. The role of the myostatin (MSTN) gene in skeletal muscle mass has been studied in various mammals, and mutations in the MSTN gene are known to affect the racing ability and stamina of thoroughbreds. In this study, we compared the frequency of mutations in the MSTN gene in several horse breeds, including 1,433 Jeju horses. Among the mutations (ECA18 g.66493737C>T) in the MSTN gene, the long-distance aptitude genotype (TT) was found to have a frequency of 0.826 in Jeju horses, which was higher than that in Halla horses (0.285) and thoroughbreds (0.252). The genotypes and arrival records of Jeju horses were compared according to various distances (400 m, 800 m, 900 m, 1,000 m, 1,110 m, and 1,200 m). According to the results, the CT type showed a faster-reaching record than the TT type in races of less than 1,000 m. However, almost identical results were confirmed in races over 1,110 m. This study suggests that the MSTN mutation in Jeju horses may be related to race distance aptitude. In future research, the data in this study can be used for developing markers related to race distance aptitude and racing abilities in Jeju horses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.855-867
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• 2016

The horse is relatively earlier domesticated animal species. Domesticated horses have been selected for their ability of racing, robustness, and disease-resistance. As a result, the thoroughbred horse genome has been condensed many genotypes related to exercise ability. In recent years, with the advent of NGS technologies, many studies were concentrated on finding superior genetic species in the horse genome in terms of genomics. Consequently, GWAS (Genome-wide Association study) is applied to horse genome, then genetic marker is revealed for superior racing ability. In addition, RNA-Seq is utilized as a method for analyze of whole transcript profiling in specific samples. By using this approach, specific gene expression patterns and transcript sequences can be revealed in various samples such as each individual, before and after exercise state, and each tissue. DNA methylation, a strong factor that regulate gene expression without the change of DNA sequence, have got a lot of attention. In horse genome, exercise- or individual-specific DNA methylation patterns were detected, and could be useful to develop selective marker of superior horses. MicroRNAs inhibit gene expression, and transposable elements accounted for half of the mammalian genome. These two elements are the crucial factors in functional genomics, and could be applied to the selection of superior horses. As the functional genomics and epigenomics advance, then these technologies introduced in this paper were applied to select superior horses. In this paper, the studies for selection of superior horses through genetic technologies, and development possibilities of these studies were discussed.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.85-92
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• 2023

Fractures in the horse industry are challenging and a common cause of death in racehorses. To accelerate fracture healing, tissue engineering (TE) provides promising ways to regenerate bone tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the osteogenic effects of biphasic calcium phosphate collagen (BCPC) graft, bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments in horses. Four thoroughbred horses were included in the study, and, in each horse, three cortical defects with a diameter of 5 mm and depth of 10 mm were formed in the third metacarpal bones (MC) and metatarsal bones (MT). The defects were randomly assigned to one of six treatment groups (saline, BCPC, BMP2, MSC, PRP, and control). Injections of saline, BMP2, PRP, or MSCs were made at 1, 3, and 5 weeks after defect surgery. Bone regeneration effects were assessed by radiography, quantitative computed tomography (QCT), micro-computed tomography (μCT), histopathological, and histomorphometric evaluation. The new bone ratio (%) in the histomorphometric evaluation was higher in the BMP2 group than in the control and saline groups. Radiographic and QCT values were significantly higher in the BCPC groups than in the other groups. QCT values of the BMP2 group were significantly higher than in the control and saline groups. The present study demonstrated that BCPC grafts were biologically safe and showed osteoconductivity in horses and the repeated injections of BMP2 without a carrier can be simple and promising TE factors for treating horses with bone fractures.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.1094-1104
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• 2023

Aggression in horses may cause serious accidents during riding and non-riding activities. Hence, predicting the temperament of horses is essential for selecting suitable horses and ensuring safety during the activity. In certain animals, such as hamsters, plasma melatonin concentrations have been correlated with aggressive behavior. However, whether this relationship applies to horses remains unclear. To address this research gap, this study aimed to evaluate differences in the plasma melatonin concentrations among horses of different breeds, ages, and sexes and examine the correlation between plasma melatonin concentrations and the temperament of the horses, including docility, affinity, dominance, and trainability. Blood samples from 32 horses were collected from the Horse Industry Complex Center of Jeonju Kijeon College. The docility, affinity, dominance, and trainability of the horses were assessed by three professional trainers who were well-acquainted with the horses. Plasma melatonin concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The consequent values were compared between the horses of different breeds, ages, and sexes using a three-way analysis of variance and least significant difference post hoc test. Linear regression analysis was employed to identify the relationship between plasma melatonin concentrations and docility, affinity, dominance, and trainability. The results showed that the plasma melatonin concentrations significantly differed with breeds in Thoroughbred and cold-blooded horses. However, there were no differences in the plasma melatonin concentrations between the horse ages and sexes. Furthermore, plasma melatonin concentrations did not exhibit a significant correlation with the ranking of docility, affinity, dominance, and trainability.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.800-811
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• 2022

The integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics may elucidate the correlation between the genotypic and phenotypic patterns in organisms. In equine physiology, various metabolite levels vary during exercise, which may be correlated with a modified gene expression pattern of related genes. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic studies in horses have not been conducted to date. The objective of this study was to detect the effect of moderate exercise on the metabolomic and transcriptomic levels in horses. In this study, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we analyzed the concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma; we also determined the gene expression patterns of branched chain (alpha) keto acid dehydrogenase kinase complex (BCKDK), which encodes the key regulatory enzymes in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism, in two breeds of horses, Thoroughbred and Jeju, at different time intervals. The concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma were measured by ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, and the relative metabolite levels before and after exercise in the two samples were compared. Subsequently, multivariate data analysis based on the metabolic profiles was performed using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and variable important plots and t-test were used for basic statistical analysis. The stress-induced expression patterns of BCKDK genes in horse muscle-derived cells were examined using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to gain insight into the role of transcript in response to exercise stress. In this study, we found higher concentrations of aspartate, leucine, isoleucine, and lysine in the skeletal muscle of Jeju horses than in Thoroughbred horses. In plasma, compared with Jeju horses, Thoroughbred horses had higher levels of alanine and methionine before exercise; whereas post-exercise, lysine levels were increased. Gene expression analysis revealed a decreased expression level of BCKDK in the post-exercise period in Thoroughbred horses.