Abstract
BackgroundGlycogen in skeletal muscle is a major source of energy during exercise and an important determinant of endurance capacity, so that its measurement may provide a meaningful marker of athletes’ preparation and a possible predictor of performance, both in humans and in equines. Gold standard of glycogen concentration measurement is the histochemical and biochemical analysis of biopsy-derived muscle tissue, an invasive and potentially injuring procedure. Recently, high-frequency ultrasound (US) technology is being exploited in human sports medicine to estimate muscle glycogen content. Therefore, aim of the present study is to evaluate the feasibility of US assessment of muscle glycogen in equines.ResultsUS images of gluteus medius (GL) and semitendinosus (ST) muscles were obtained on eight healthy horses (3–10 years) before and after a steady-state exercise on treadmill (velocity: 4.0–12.5 m/s; duration: 2–20 min; heart rate: 137–218 b/min). Average image greyscale intensity was significantly different between GL and ST, both before and after exercise (p < 0.001). Comparing baseline and post-exercise US images, significant increase in greyscale intensity has been observed in ST (p < 0.001), but not in GL (p = 0.129). The volume of the exercise was significantly correlated with exercise-dependent change in image intensity (R2 = 0.891), consistent with a reduction of glycogen muscle stores resulting from aerobic activity.ConclusionsUS technique evidences also in horses muscle changes possibly associated to glycogen utilisation during exercise. Present results on a small sample need to be further confirmed and provide preliminary data warranting future validation by direct glycogen measurement through biopsy technique.
Highlights
Glycogen in skeletal muscle is a major source of energy during exercise and an important determinant of endurance capacity, so that its measurement may provide a meaningful marker of athletes’ preparation and a possible predictor of performance, both in humans and in equines
The current study aims to evaluate the use of this technique in equines, in order to explore a non-invasive method, alternative to muscle biopsy, and to provide preliminary background data for future validation studies assessing skeletal muscle glycogen concentration in horses with US technique
Student’s t-test for paired measurements indicated that both before and after exercise average US intensity is higher in ST muscle than in gluteus medius (GL) muscle, whereas the same paired test showed that a statistically significant difference between the values observed before and after exercise was found for ST muscle but not for GL muscle
Summary
Glycogen in skeletal muscle is a major source of energy during exercise and an important determinant of endurance capacity, so that its measurement may provide a meaningful marker of athletes’ preparation and a possible predictor of performance, both in humans and in equines. The horse is a versatile and extraordinary athlete, as it can be appreciated in the variety of existing equine sport disciplines. Horses, regardless of their origin and their aptitude, have in common the ability to perform physical. Tabozzi et al BMC Veterinary Research (2021) 17:121 the alveolar gas to mitochondria, the availability of energy stores of substrates in skeletal muscle tissue (i.e. glycogen concentration) is recognised to impact on athletic endurance performance. Since muscle glycogen content is modifiable by adjustments of appropriate dietary regimen in relation with training protocols, the measurement of muscular reserves is a key point in the management of the athlete horse
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