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. 2022 Mar 15;12(6):732.
doi: 10.3390/ani12060732.

Influence of Obesity on Histological Tissue Structure of the Cardiovascular System in Horses

Natalia Siwinska  1 , Izabela Janus  2 , Agnieszka Zak-Bochenek  3 , Agnieszka Noszczyk-Nowak  1
Affiliations

Influence of Obesity on Histological Tissue Structure of the Cardiovascular System in Horses

Natalia Siwinska et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

It has been well established that obesity in horses can have a negative impact on their health, including endocrine disturbances. In humans, it is well known that obesity leads to structural and functional changes of the cardiovascular system. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of obesity on the histological structure of the myocardial tissue, as well as great and peripheral arteries in horses. The heart, arteries (aorta, pulmonary artery and palmar arteries) specimens from 7 horses with normal BCS (4-5/9) and 12 extremely obese (BCS 9/9) draft slaughter horses were obtained for histopathological evaluation. The heart tissue and great arteries showed more intense disturbances in the architecture and vacuolization in the aorta in obese horses as compared to the healthy group. The intima in the pulmonary artery, coronary arteries and palmar arteries was thicker in the obese, rather than healthy horses. The palmar arteries in obese horses had a larger lumen diameter and the lumen-to-total diameter ratio as compared to the control group. The presented study showed a significant effect of obesity on the heart as well as the central and peripheral vessels in horses. This forms the basis for a deeper reflection on the impact of obesity on the equine body.

Keywords: equine; heart; leptin; overweight; vessels.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Macroscopic image of the whole isolated heart from an extremely obese horse. (A) Hearts surrounded by pericardial fat. (B) Cross section of the heart wall with increased amount of pericardial fat, infiltrating the heart wall.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen from an extremely obese horse. Left ventricular wall: myocardial cell degeneration; severe steatosis; HE staining; 100×.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen from a lean horse. Left ventricular wall—normal structure; HE staining; 200×.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen from an extremely obese horse. Left atrial wall: very strong extravascular fibrosis replacing normal cardiomyocytes; HE staining; 100×.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Microscopic image of the aorta specimen from an extremely obese horse. Aortic wall: relaxation of the fiber system, structure disturbance, cell vacuolization; HE staining, 40× (A), 100× (B).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Microscopic image of the aorta specimen from a lean horse. Normal aortic wall; HE staining; 100×.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen with coronary artery from a lean horse. Normal intraventricular coronary vessels; HE staining; 100×.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen with coronary artery from an extremely obese horse. The wall of the right ventricle: in the center, a coronary vessel with a thickened wall; moderate degeneration of muscle cells; intense perivascular steatosis; HE staining; 100×.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Microscopic image of the heart muscle specimen with coronary artery from an extremely obese horse. The wall of the right atrium: a coronary vessel with a thickened wall and reduced lumen; strong degeneration of the heart muscle cells; very intense perivascular fibrosis extending between the remaining cardiomyocytes; HE staining; 100×.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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