# Molecular Assessment of Plasma Concentrations of Selected Adipokines and IL-8 in Horses with Back Pain and Comorbid Asthma—Based on Clinical Cases

## TL;DR

This study investigates how certain hormones from fat tissue, called adipokines, are linked to back pain and asthma in horses, comparing them to control animals.

## Contribution

The study is the first to explore adipokine concentrations in horses with back pain and comorbid asthma.

## Key findings

- Horses with back pain showed distinct patterns in adipokine concentrations like resistin, visfatin, and leptin.
- Adipokine levels differed in horses with both back pain and asthma compared to those with only back pain.
- Very few studies have examined adipokines in horses, especially in relation to back pain and asthma.

## Abstract

Tissues (for instance, muscle, adipose tissue but also the others) which are metabolically active, can be sources of protein hormones. Many adipocytokines are pro-inflammatory in nature and exacerbate clinical symptoms, including pain, in a specified region. In case of humans, correlations of back pain and asthma with concentrations of selected adipokines have been identified. The fact that adipocytokines play an important role in different types of pain can be concluded from the observations, however, the underlying mechanisms is unclear. Therefore, it seems crucial to define their action in specific disease entities. Back pain in horses is a disorder with a multifactorial aetiology, so seeking for and attempts to identify new factors involved in their pathogenesis may contribute to the introduction of preventive measures and changes in treatment.

Similarly, in humans and horses, thoracic and lumbosacral back pain cause more disability and work interruptions worldwide than any other disease. Given that there are few effective treatments for back pain in humans and animals, primary prevention strategies and a reduction in pain factors may be crucial. In the analysed data obtained for the horses studied, the pattern of changes in adipocytokine concentrations, including resistin, visfatin and leptin, was noted for those with back pain compared to the control animals. Concentrations of selected adipocytokines in horses from the back pain group were different in animals with a coexisting diagnosis of asthma and back dysfunction. Very few studies are available on adipokine concentrations in horses. No information was found in relation to back pain and asthma in these animals. In humans, correlations of back pain and asthma with concentrations of selected adipokines have been described.