Blood Response to Mercury Exposure in Athletic Horse From Messina, Italy

Hair and Blood Trace Elements (Cadmium, Zinc, Chrome, Lead, Iron and Copper) Biomonitoring in the Athletic Horse: The Potential Role of Haematological Parameters as Biomarkers

The aim of the present study was the evaluation of the bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), Zinc (Zn), Chrome (Cr), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe) and Copper (Cu), in the blood, serum, tail and mane of horses from the industrialized area of Milazzo (Messina, Sicily), to understand the relationships between haematological parameters: Red Blood Cells (RBCs), White Blood Cells (WBCs), Haemoglobin (Hb), Haematocrit (Hct), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Platelets (PLTs) and the concentrations of trace elements. Blood and hair samples from 20 healthy Italian Saddle horses and water, hay and concentrates samples were obtained to determine the haemogram and mineral concentration using a Thermo Scientific iCAP-Q ICP-MS spectrometer. Descriptive analysis showed a higher concentration of Zn, Cr, Pb, Fe, and Cu in the blood and a higher concentration of Cd in the tail than other substrates. A positive correlation was found for Cr (p < 0.0001) and Zn (p < 0.01) between blood and serum substrates, for Zn (p < 0.001) between mane and tail and for Pb (p < 0.01) between blood and mane, while a negative correlation was observed for Cr (p < 0.01) between blood and tail. Results showed a close relationship between the bioaccumulation of certain trace elements in biological substrates and haematological parameters, which represent useful biomarkers suggesting further studies, given the role of haematological parameters in athletic horses.

Bioaccumulation of Mineral Elements in Different Biological Substrates of Athletic Horse from Messina, Italy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels and the potential bioaccumulation of vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and bismuth (Bi) in horses from the industrial risk area of Sicily (Italy). Different biological substrates (whole blood, serum; tail and mane) and samples of hay, concentrate and water provided to the horses were processed by means of Thermo Scientific iCAP-Q ICP-MS spectrometer for mineral concentration. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to show the differences in various trace elements in the biological substrates. Pearson's test was applied to evaluate the correlation of mineral concentrations between whole blood and serum; and tail and mane. The results showed statistical differences of tested mineral elements among biological substrates; Cr whole blood concentrations were negatively correlated with serum concentrations and a positive correlation between whole blood and serum was observed for Cd and Bi. This latter also showed a positive correlation between mane and tail. The concentrations of V, Cr, and Pb in tail with serum and whole blood samples were negatively correlated, while the concentrations of Cd in tail and serum samples were positively correlated. Minerals had a non-homogenous distribution in the organism, showing different concentrations in the biological substrates.