Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 18;14(1):13992. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-64628-x.
Obesity is a complex disease associated with augmented risk of metabolic disorder development and cellular dysfunction in various species. The goal of the present study was to investigate the impacts of obesity on the metabolic health of old mares as well as test the ability of diet supplementation with either a complex blend of nutrients designed to improve equine metabolism and gastrointestinal health or L-carnitine alone to mitigate negative effects of obesity. Mares (n = 19, 17.9 ± 3.7 years) were placed into one of three group: normal-weight (NW, n = 6), obese (OB, n = 7) or obese fed a complex diet supplement for 12 weeks (OBD, n = 6). After 12 weeks and completion of sample collections, OB mares received L-carnitine alone for an additional 6 weeks. Obesity in mares was significantly associated with insulin dysregulation, reduced muscle mitochondrial function, and decreased skeletal muscle oxidative capacity with greater ROS production when compared to NW. Obese mares fed the complex diet supplement had better insulin sensivity, greater cell lipid metabolism, and higher muscle oxidative capacity with reduced ROS production than OB. L-carnitine supplementation alone did not significantly alter insulin signaling, but improved lipid metabolism and muscle oxidative capacity with reduced ROS. In conclusion, obesity is associated with insulin dysregulation and altered skeletal muscle metabolism in older mares. However, dietary interventions are an effective strategy to improve metabolic status and skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in older mares.
肥胖是一种复杂的疾病,与多种物种代谢紊乱的发展和细胞功能障碍的风险增加有关。本研究的目的是研究肥胖对老年母马代谢健康的影响,并测试用旨在改善马代谢和胃肠道健康的营养复合物或左旋肉碱单独补充饮食的方法来减轻肥胖的负面影响的能力。将母马(n = 19,17.9 ± 3.7 岁)分为三组:正常体重(NW,n = 6)、肥胖(OB,n = 7)或肥胖并补充复杂饮食补充剂 12 周(OBD,n = 6)。12 周后完成样本收集,OB 母马单独接受左旋肉碱治疗 6 周。与 NW 相比,母马肥胖与胰岛素失调、肌肉线粒体功能降低以及骨骼肌氧化能力降低和 ROS 产生增加有关。与 OB 相比,补充复杂饮食补充剂的肥胖母马胰岛素敏感性更高、细胞脂质代谢更好、肌肉氧化能力更高且 ROS 产生减少。单独补充左旋肉碱并未显著改变胰岛素信号,但改善了脂质代谢和肌肉氧化能力,减少了 ROS。总之,肥胖与老年母马的胰岛素失调和骨骼肌代谢改变有关。然而,饮食干预是改善老年母马代谢状况和骨骼肌线粒体功能的有效策略。