Age-related features of iron metabolism in hanoverian mares

Purpose: to study age-related changes in iron metabolism indices in Hanoverian mares.

Materials and methods. The study was conducted in the summer at a horse farm in the Tosnensky District of the Leningrad Region. For the study, 20 clinically healthy mares were selected, which were divided into 4 age groups of 5 horses each: the first group — 2—4 years old, the second — 5—10 years old, the third — 11—15 years old, the fourth — 16 years old and older. Blood was collected into vacutainer tubes for hematology with K3EDTA. The following parameters were determined in each sample: hemoglobin concentration (hemoglobin cyanide method using acetone cyanohydrin), serum iron content (determined using the ABRIS+ kit), total iron-binding capacity (TIBC, determined using the ABRIS+ kit), latent iron-binding capacity (LIBC, calculated value), transferrin content, transferrin saturation coefficient (TIC, calculated value), and erythrocyte concentration was counted using a counting chamber with a Goryaev grid. The reliability calculation was carried out using the Mann-Whitney criterion.

Results. When analyzing the obtained data, it was revealed that the average indicators, except for the transferrin saturation coefficient, are within the reference values. The transferrin saturation coefficient exceeds the permissible values by an average of 24,06 %. The highest values of this indicator are observed in animals aged 2—4 years (33,8 %). A reliable increase in the number of erythrocytes by 34,3 % was also established in the 2—4 years age group compared to the 5–10 years group (p<0,05). A significant increase in hemoglobin was noted in the group of horses aged 5-10 years by 16,4 % (p<0,05) compared to the group aged 2—4 years, which may be a consequence of the body reaching physiological maturity. The transferrin saturation coefficient was also significantly higher by 7,9 % in horses aged 2—4 years compared to the average for all ages (p<0,05). Horses in the 16-year-old and older age group have higher average serum iron, total serum iron-binding capacity, and latent serum iron-binding capacity than other groups of horses.

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