Oxidative stress in hoof laminar tissue of horses with lethal gastrointestinal diseases.

Tissue damage caused by oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases in animals and man, and is believed to play a role in the development of laminitis in horses. The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidative stress associated with laminar lesions in horses with lethal gastrointestinal disorders. Laminar tissue samples of the hoof of 30 horses were used. Tissue samples were divided as follows: six healthy horses (control group-CG), and 24 horses that died after complications of gastrointestinal diseases (group suffering from gastrointestinal disorders-GDG). Superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and nitrotyrosine immunostaining and the severity of laminar lesions were evaluated. Presence of laminar lesions and immunostaining for nitrotyrosine and SOD2 were only evident in horses from the GDG group. Thus, oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of laminar lesions secondary to gastrointestinal disorders.