95% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1597739
Lipidomics and Biochemical Profiling of Adult Yili Horses in a 26-km Endurance Race: Exploring Metabolic Adaptations
Provisionally accepted- Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
The equine lipid metabolism is activated during and after endurance exercise to provide energy in response to the metabolic and physiological changes in the body caused by prolonged exercise; however, the specific regulatory mechanisms remain controversial and identifying differential lipid metabolites associated with equine endurance is essential to elucidate these regulatory mechanisms. In this study, blood samples for lipid metabolomic analysis and biochemical indices were collected before and after a 26 km race from 12 Yili horses with different endurance performance. The biochemical results showed that: the albumin (ALB) level was significantly higher in the general group than in the excellent group before the competition, but significantly lower in the ordinary group after the competition (P<0.05); the pre-competition alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the excellent group was significantly higher than that of the general group (P<0.05); and the urea nitrogen (BUN) in the general group was significantly higher than that of the excellent group after the competition (P<0.05). The lipid metabolism results showed that a total of 1537 lipid differential metabolites were obtained, mainly enriched in the pathways of fatty acid biosynthesis, cortisol synthesis and secretion, bile secretion, aldosterone regulation of sodium reabsorption, biotin metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. Metabolomics and biochemical correlation analyses screened PC (18:3/18:4) and PI (18:1/18:2) as potential biomarkers to identify endurance performance in Yili horses. The results of this study provide a solid foundation for improving equine racing performance and for the selection and breeding of endurance horses by providing a comprehensive reference on the mechanisms of lipid metabolism in equine endurance.
Keywords: Yili horse, Lipid metabolomics, Blood biochemistry, Endurance racing, regulatory mechanisms
Received: 21 Mar 2025; Accepted: 04 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chang, Zhang, Yao, Meng, Ren and Zeng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yaqi Zeng, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.