Abstract: The Federation Equestre Internationale has permitted the use of altrenogest in mares for the control of oestrus. However, altrenogest is also suspicious to misuse in competition horses for its potential anabolic effects and suppression of typical male behaviour, and thus is a controlled drug. To investigate the pharmacokinetics of altrenogest in horses we conducted an elimination study. Five oral doses of 44 mug/kg altrenogest were administered to 10 horses at a dose interval of 24 h. Following administration blood and urine samples were collected at appropriate intervals. Altrenogest concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The plasma levels of altrenogest reached maximal concentrations of 23-75 ng/mL. Baseline values were achieved within 3 days after the final administration. Urine peak concentrations of total altrenogest ranged from 823 to 3895 ng/mL. Twelve days after the final administration concentrations were below the limit of detection (ca 2 ng/mL).

Abstract: Selegiline ([R]-[-]N,alpha-dimethyl-N-2- propynylphenethylamine or l-deprenyl), an irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase, is a classic antidyskinetic and antiparkinsonian agent widely used in human medicine both as monotherapy and as an adjunct to levodopa therapy. Selegiline is classified by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) as a class 2 agent, and is considered to have high abuse potential in racing horses. A highly sensitive LC/MS/MS quantitative analytical method has been developed for selegiline and its potential metabolites amphetamine and methamphetamine using commercially available deuterated analogs of these compounds as internal standards. After administering 40 mg of selegiline orally to two horses, relatively low (<60 ng/ml) concentrations of parent selegiline, amphetamine, and methamphetamine were recovered in urine samples. However, relatively high urinary concentrations of another selegiline metabolite were found, tentatively identified as N- desmethylselegiline. This metabolite was synthesized and found to be indistinguishable from the new metabolite recovered from horse urine, thereby confirming the chemical identity of the equine metabolite. Additionally, analysis of urine samples from four horses dosed with 50 mg of selegiline confirmed that N-desmethylselegiline is the major urinary metabolite of selegiline in horses. In related behavior studies, p.o. and i.v. administration of 30 mg of selegiline produced no significant changes in either locomotor activities or heart rates.

Abstract: The objective was to use an electronic pressure mat to measure and compare forces and pressures of the saddle on a horse's back when riders mounted from the ground and with the aid of a mounting platform. Ten riders mounted a horse three times each from the ground and from a 35 cm high mounting platform in random order. Total force (summation of forces over all 256 sensors) was measured and compared at specific points on the force-time curve. Total force was usually highest as the rider's right leg was swinging upwards and was correlated with rider mass. When normalized to rider mass, total force and peak pressure were significantly higher when mounting from the ground than from a raised platform (P < 0.05). The area of highest pressure was on the right side of the withers in 97% of mounting efforts, confirming the importance of the withers in stabilizing the saddle during mounting.

Abstract: Studies have been made on the peroxidase activity of metmyoglobins in animals from various ecological groups--the horse Equus caballus, cattle Bos taurus, beaver Castor fiber, otter Lutra lutra, mink Mustela vison and dog Canis familiaris. It was found that the level of this activity in diving animals depends on the duration of their diving, whereas in terrestrial species--on the strength of muscular contraction.

Abstract: We have here investigated the dissociation kinetics of the His side chains axially ligated to the heme-iron in the ferric (1-56 residues) N-fragment of horse cyt c. The ligand deligation induced by acidic pH-jump occurs as a biexponential process with different pre-exponential factors, consistent with a structural heterogeneity in solution and the presence of two differently coordinated species. In analogy with GuHCl-denatured cyt c, our data indicate the presence in solution of two ferric forms of the N-fragment characterized by bis-His coordination, as summarized in the following scheme: His18-Fe(III)-His26 <==> His18-Fe(III)-His33. We have found that the pre-exponential factors depend on the extent of the pH-jump. This may be correlated with the different pKa values shown by His26 and His33; due to steric factors, His26 binds to the heme-Fe(III) less strongly than His33, as recently shown by studies on denatured cyt c. Interestingly, the two lifetimes are affected by temperature but not by the extent of the pH-jump. The lower pKa for the deligation reaction required the use of an improved laser pH-jump setup, capable of inducing changes in H+ concentration as large as 1 mM after the end of the laser pulse. For the ferric N-fragment, close activation entropy values have been determined for the two histidines coordinated to the iron; this result significantly differs from that for GuHCl-denatured cyt c, where largely different values of activation entropy were calculated. This underlines the role played by the missing segment (residues 57-104) peptide chain in discriminating deligation of the “nonnative” His from the sixth coordination position of the metal.