To identify metabolic biomarkers that can be evaluated in serum for monitoring the effects of exercise on skeletal development in mammals.
Sera of foals from three groups (box-stall rest, pasture and training) were serially collected over the first 5 months of life and assayed for eight biomarkers of cartilage and bone metabolism. Sub-populations from each group were sampled for an additional 6 months of identical exercise.
When expressed as a percentage of baseline values, lower serum levels of the carboxy-terminal propeptides of type II collagen (CPII), and higher serum levels of the cross-linked telopeptide fragments of degraded type I collagen (CTx1) were found in the trained foals compared to the other groups. Significant differences disappeared in those foals sampled during an additional 6 months of identical exercise. The most significant correlations were between serum biomarkers of bone metabolism, being positive between anabolic markers and negative between anabolic and catabolic markers. Serum levels of CTx1 and CPII significantly increased with age in all groups throughout the study.
We have identified two markers of collagen metabolism, CPII and CTx1, as potential serum indicators of the exercise effects on the developing skeletal system in horses. Forced exercise during the first months postpartum appeared to have a negative effect on collagen turnover when compared to levels in pastured foals. Routine monitoring of collagen biomarkers in sera of exercising young mammals may allow for the early detection of abnormalities in skeletal tissue metabolism and for subsequent intervention before permanent damage occurs.