Beer Breakthrough: Hops May Prevent Pasture-Associated Laminitis by Linda Waller in Edited News Release, Horse Health + Care, Other Hops, a basic ingredient in beer making, are now being investigated for their antimicrobial properties in preventing horses from foundering. As if you needed another reason to love beer. Pasture-associated laminitis, commonly known as foundering, is a complicated process. Horses metabolize sugar from grasses in the form of fructans, and when they eat too much, lactic acidosis and endotoxemia can occur. If you didn’t know, lactic acidosis is a physiological condition characterized by low pH in body tissues and blood. It’s accompanied by the buildup of lactate, and typically occurs when cells don’t get enough oxygen. The impaired cellular respiration leads to lower pH levels, but cells are still forced to metabolize the sugars without oxygen. Endotoxemia is complicated, but basically it’s an overgrowth of bacteria that feed on fructans in the hindgut and emit harmful lipid molecules into the bloodstream. If the horses get too much circulating through their bodies, it can cause severe problems that also lead to laminitis. This illustration shows the stress points/inflammation in the foundered hoof. The ripping off the wall (4) from the laminae (7a) in the point A, and the pressure/protrusion in the sole caused by the dropping/rotations of the coffin bone (1) B. © Ludvík Stanek/stablemade This illustration shows the stress points/inflammation in the foundered hoof. The ripping off the wall (4) from the laminae (7a) in the point A, and the pressure/protrusion in the sole caused by the dropping/rotations of the coffin bone (1) B. © Ludvík Stanek/stablemade Although founder is treatable, it can be difficult to prevent, and if left uncontrolled it can lead to a need for euthanasia. So researchers at the University of Kentucky looked into the possibility of stopping the production of fructans – which would help make the prevention of the associated laminitis more feasible. “Hops” come from the cone-like flowers of the female hop vine (Humulus lupulus), which contain a soft resin with a characteristic bitter flavor that gives beer its “hoppy” aroma. β-acids (beta acids) are part of its organic composition, which have the handy effect of counteracting beer-spoiling bacteria. The researchers knew that hops contain these antimicrobial properties, and hypothesized that the β-acid would control fructan fermentation by decreasing the overgrowth of bacteria in the hindgut of the horse. A hop flower. © Lucky Starr A hop flower. © Lucky Starr Although the results are preliminary at this point, the experiment showed definite promise, and their findings were reported in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. The study was led by Brittany Harlow, of the Department of Animals and Food Sciences at the University of Kentucky. She wanted to see if hops’ antibacterial action could be used to limit the bacterial overgrowth that occurs in some cases of laminitis. Another aim of the study was to examine the antimicrobial mode of action on Streptococcus bovis, which has been implicated in fructan fermentation, hindgut acidosis and endotoxemia, and the resulting pasture-associated laminitis in the horse. Harlow and her colleagues discovered that when suspensions of equine fecal micro-organisms were enriched with inulin (a type of fructan), they fermented the inulin. This caused a production of acid and a plummet in pH. But when β-acid (lupulone) was added to the culture in concentrations ≥9ppm, lactate production was inhibited and the decrease in pH was limited. Brittany Harlow © University of Kentuckys College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Brittany Harlow © University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment The scientists were able to isolate S. bovis from the fermented suspension, and also demonstrated that S. bovis were sensitive to beta-acids, resulting in fewer viable organisms in fecal suspensions. And when they added beta-acid to pure cultures of S. bovis, they found a reduction in bacterial growth, a reduction in lactate production, as well as decreased intracellular potassium of the micro-organism. So, Harlow and her colleagues have concluded that their findings support their hypothesis: the β-acids present in hops prevent the growth of fructan-fermenting equine fecal bacteria, and that the mechanism of action involved dissipation of the intracellular potassium of S. bovis. The researchers suggest that hops β-acid is a promising tool for phytochemical intervention, and may potentially be used to decrease the growth of bacteria responsible for pasture-associated laminitis. Cheers!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 10:39:58 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015