The effect of training load stress on salivary cortisol concentrations, health parameters and hematological parameters in horses

The performance of sport horses is conditioned not only by the quality of its gene pool, but also by a large number of external factors. The most dominant being nutrition, quality of breeding, level of zootechnical care and the quality of the sports rider and coach. Important factor is the process of individuals' adaptation to the training load occurring during the training itself. This study was focused on the analysis of salivary cortisol levels as well as hematological and biochemical blood parameters in relation to load to which the tested horses were subjected. In the study 14 horses of sport breeds were analyzed a all tested horses were in the same (medium) level of training load. Tested horses underwent following stages of workload - transportation, jumping training, parkour competition, treadmill training, riding training, shoeing and lunging of various intensity. Saliva samples were obtained using a tampon on a string which was inserted into horse's oral cavity, chewed by the horse and placed in a sterile tube with a closable lid. Afterwards, the samples were then stored in deep-freezing boxes at temperature of -80 °C. The EIA cortisol kit was used in this study. The absorbance was read at the wavelength of 450 nm against a reference wavelength of 620-630 nm or a blank sample. Blood samples were obtained at the beginning of the experiment, after half a year of running the experiment and at the end of the experiment from v. jugularis. Hematological analysis were carried out using automatic hematologic analyser and multiple parameters were observed. Analysis of biochemical parameters in blood serum were realized using commercial DiaSys kits and semiautomatic biochemical spectrophotometer. Sodium, potassium and chlorides were measured using automatic analyzer EasyLytePlus. In all monitored forms of exercise (transportation, jumping training, parkour competition, treadmill training, riding training, horse shoeing, lunging), an increase in cortisol concentrations immediately after the exercise was recorded, but only spotted statistically significant differences were found during the transportation of monitored horses. The levels of blood parameters were within the reference range during the experiment period. From a comprehensive evaluation of the results, it can be stated that there were no visible health changes to the horses that underwent the experimental load and that manipulation with horses is an important factor that has effect on horses' stress response. In general, the results of this study show no visible impact of training and/or load on the health status of horses over entire 12-month duration of the experiment.

Consumption of bitter apricot seeds affects lipid and endocrine profile in women

Natural products have been attracting increasing attention in human diet, both due to the possible negative effects of synthetic food additives on human health and the increased consumer perception. Apricot seeds contain a wide variety of bioactive components and their consumption is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of consumption of bitter apricot seeds on blood lipid and endocrine profile in Slovak women (n = 18, 41.60 ± 11.28 years) of reproductive age. Volunteers consumed 60 mg.kg^-1 of body weight of bitter apricot seeds divided into 8-12 doses daily for 42 days. During the experiment, three blood collections were carried out (at the beginning of the experiment - day 0, and after 21 and 42 days of consumption apricot seeds). Lipid profile was measured in terms of - total cholesterol (T-C, enzymatic photometric method), low-density cholesterol (LDL-C, calculated using the Friedewald equation), high-density cholesterol (HDL-C, direct clearance method), triglycerides (TG, enzymatic colorimetric method) whereas endocrine profile - follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), progesterone (P4), 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone, and androstenedione was assessed by ELISA. The blood levels of T-C, HDL-C and T-C did not change significantly (P > 0.05), however, the level of LDL-C decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after 42 days. On the other hand, there was a significant (P < 0.05) increase of T-C and TG after 21 days. The blood level of FSH, testosterone and androstenedione increased significantly (P < 0.05) although the levels of LH, PRL, P4 and E2 did not change (P > 0.05) after 42 days. The level of PRL and testosterone significantly (P < 0.05) increased and E2 significantly decreased after 21 days of apricot seeds consumption. The study suggests that daily consumption of apricot seeds may affect plasma lipid and endocrine profile in women of reproductive age.

The effect of different sample collection methods on rabbit blood parameters

Nowadays great deal of research is physiological field is conducted on experimental animals and there is a lot of criticism from the wide public on methods used. Therefore, recently there is a lot of effort focused on the welfare of the animals. Main aim of this study is to determine the effect of experimental sample collection method on the selected parameters of stress. In the experiment two sample collections of rabbit blood from marginal ear vein were realized - first using standard method with one person fixing the animal and other collecting the blood using gently fixating the animal. In the second groups experimental method of inserting the experimental animal into a sack and further collection in dark was realized. During the experiment the levels of cortisol - main stress indicator in organism and other health parameters of animals including mineral profile and haematological parameters were observed. Our results show no significant changes in levels of cortisol but also a decreasing tendency in the sample from the second (dark) collection. Haematological parameters were generally in the reference values and any significant changes except levels of lymphocytes and percent of lymphocytes which shown significant increase in the second collection period were found. Also the levels of mean corpuscular haemoglobin and percent of neutrophils unveiled a significant decrease in values. Values of mineral profile parameters have indicated no significant changes except the levels of phosphorus. Based on the result we can state that the experimental sample collection has no effect on blood parameters of the animals but we spectated a statistically insignificant decrease in the levels of cortisol which can suggest that the dark collection is possibly less stressful to the animals.

THE EFFECT OF APRICOT SEEDS ON MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF RABBIT LIVER

Natural phytosubstances, such as amygdalin, used in alternative medicine has gained popularity. However, some researchers suspect the protective properties of amygdalin due to a lack of clinical studies. The aim of the present in vivo study was to determine the effect of apricot seed administration on microscopic changes in the liver using a rabbit as a biological model. Sixteen male rabbits 45 days old were randomly divided into four groups (control group without any apricot seed administration, and experimental groups fed by crushed apricot seeds at the doses 60, 300 and 420 mg/kg b.w., mixed with commercial feed), which was administered orally a daily during a ten-month period. The liver tissue samples were evaluated by histological analysis. Significant changes were observed in the microscopic structure of rabbit livers after apricot seed ingestion. The morphometric evaluation of rabbit livers after the application of apricot seeds showed an increase of binucleated cells in the vena centralis region (P≤0.001) at the highest dose and in the peripheral zone at all the doses used (P≤0.001, P≤0.01, P≤0.05) compared to control. On the other hand, distinct inhibition in the number of binucleated cells in the region vena centralis at the doses 300 (P≤0.01) and 420 mg/kg b.w. (P≤0.05) and in the peripheral zone at all the doses used (P≤0.001, P≤0.01) was observed. No significant differences between the control and experimental groups in vena centralis after apricot seed treatment were found (P≥0.05). In addition, the effect of apricot seeds on the relative volume of liver structures – vena centralis, stroma and parenchyma after the application of apricot seeds to rabbit males were assessed. No significant differences between control and experimental groups in the relative volume of vena centralis were found (P≥0.05). On the other hand, the relative volume of the stroma was increased at doses 60 (P≤0.05) and 300 (P≤0.01) mg/kg b.w. Interestingly, the relative volume of parenchyma was significantly decreased (P≤0.05) after the application of apricot seeds in two experimental groups 60 and 300 mg/kg b.w. The current study provides experimental evidence that apricot seeds might affect the liver microscopic structure in rabbits in vivo and thus amygdalin present in apricot seeds might present a potential risk for animal health. However, the toxic effect could not be accurately corroborated, as in many cases changes were dose-dependent and not recorded at the highest dose used in the study.

The effects of 12-week progressive strength training on strength, functional capacity, metabolic biomarkers, and serum hormone concentrations in healthy older women: morning versus evening training

Previous findings suggest that performing strength training (ST) in the evening may provide greater benefit for young individuals. However, this may not be optimal for the older population. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 12-week ST program performed in the morning vs. evening on strength, functional capacity, metabolic biomarker and basal hormone concentrations in older women. Thirty-one healthy older women (66 ± 4 years, 162 ± 4 cm, 75 ± 13 kg) completed the study. Participants trained in the morning (M) (07:30, n = 10), in the evening (E) (18:00, n = 10), or acted as a non-training control group (C) (n = 11). Both intervention groups performed whole-body strength training with 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. All groups were measured before and after the 12-week period with; dynamic leg press and seated-row 6-repetition maximum (6-RM) and functional capacity tests (30-second chair stands and arm curl test, Timed Up and Go), as well as whole-body skeletal muscle mass (SMM) (kg) and fat mass (FM-kg, FM%) assessed by bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Basal blood samples (in the intervention groups only) taken before and after the intervention assessed low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), blood glucose (GLU), triglycerides (TG), high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) concentrations and total antioxidant status (TAS) after a 12 h fast. Hormone analysis included prolactin (PRL), progesterone (P) estradiol (ESTR), testosterone (T), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH). While C showed no changes in any variable, both M and E significantly improved leg press (+ 46 ± 22% and + 21 ± 12%, respectively; p < 0.001) and seated-row (+ 48 ± 21% and + 42 ± 18%, respectively; p < 0.001) 6-RM, as well as all functional capacity outcomes (p < 0.01) due to training. M were the only group to increase muscle mass (+ 3 ± 2%, p < 0.01). Both M and E group significantly (p < 0.05) decreased GLU (-4 ± 6% and -8 ± 10%, respectively), whereas significantly greater decrease was observed in the E compared to the M group (p < 0.05). Only E group significantly decreased TG (-17 ± 25%, p < 0.01), whereas M group increased (+ 15%, p < 0.01). The difference in TG between the groups favored E compared to M group (p < 0.01). These results suggest that short-term "hypertrophic" ST alone mainly improves strength and functional capacity performance, but it influences metabolic and hormonal profile of healthy older women to a lesser extent. In this group of previously untrained older women, time-of-day did not have a major effect on outcome variables, but some evidence suggests that training in the morning may be more beneficial for muscle hypertrophy (i.e. only M significantly increased muscle mass and had larger effect size (M: g = 2 vs. E: g = 0.5).

Influence of long-term consumption of bitter apricot seeds on risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

The present study was designed to reveal whether long-term consumption of bitter apricot seeds causes changes in lipid profile and other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The study group consisted of 12 healthy adult volunteers (5 females and 7 males). The average age of women was 41.60 ± 11.28 years and the average age of men was 36.71 ± 13.70 years. Volunteers consumed 60 mg kg^-1 of body weight of bitter apricot seeds divided into 8-12 doses daily for 12 weeks. Volunteers were recruited from the general population of Slovak Republic. After 12 weeks, mean body weight of the participants increased from 77.34 to 78.22 kg (P > 0.05). The average total cholesterol levels decreased from 4.86 mmol L^-1 at the beginning of the study to 4.44 mmol L^-1 at the end of the study (P < 0.05). We did not observe any significant increase in high-density cholesterol (from 1.55 to 1.60 mmol L^-1). The average low-density cholesterol levels decreased from 2.93 mmol L^-1 at the beginning of the study to 2.31 mmol L^-1 at the end of the study (P < 0.001). Concentration of triglycerides increased significantly over the 12-week intervention period from 0.84 to 1.17 mmol L^-1. After the intervention, the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level decreased from 1.92 to 1.23 mg L^-1, but results were non-significant (P > 0.05). Creatine kinase serum levels increased from 2.31 to 2.77 mg L^-1 (P > 0.05) over the 12-week intervention period. The results suggest that regular intake of bitter apricot seeds may be considered potentially useful for prevention of cardiovascular diseases.