| dc.description.abstract | Aortic rupture in horses is a rare condition, although relatively common in the Friesian breed. This study searches for abnormalities in pyrrole cross-link and glycosaminoglycan concentration at the site of the aortic rupture. Three locations of the aorta were used, including the site of rupture. These were compared with each other and with the tendons of the horses, for systemic conditions.
The goal of this study is to ascertain if there are specific differences in the composition of the aortic wall in Friesian horses with an aortic rupture, Friesian horses without an aortic rupture and non-Friesian horses. A significant difference in concentration in one or more of the measured groups, comparing affected Friesian horses with other horses, is expected. When there is a systemic problem in the Friesian breed, a significant difference is expected when comparing the affected and non-affected Friesian horses with the Warmblood horses. This study found that the tendons of the Warmbloods contained a significant higher concentration of pyrrole cross-links compared to the non-affected Friesians, and the non-affected Friesians contained a lower significant concentration than the affected Friesian horses. In this research a trend was found towards a difference of the GAG concentration when comparing the aortas 2/3, 3/5 and tendons from the Warmbloods with the affected and non-affected Friesian horses. This could mean that there is a systemic problem in the Friesian breed concerning the GAG concentrations of the collagen The differences found in the concentration of GAGs in the aortic walls of Friesian horses compared to Warmbloods, could be used as a new insight in the reason behind aortic rupture. Also other systemic diseases in the Friesian horse could be related to the GAGs, which makes them an important topic for further research. | |
