Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Enzyme histochemistry on muscle biopsies as an aid in the diagnosis of diseases of the equine neuromuscular system: a study of six cases.
- Journal:
- Equine veterinary journal
- Year:
- 1988
- Authors:
- van den Hoven, P et al.
- Affiliation:
- Duphar BV · Netherlands
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In a study involving six horses, researchers looked at muscle samples from animals showing signs of muscle wasting, tremors, unsteadiness, and progressive difficulty with coordination. They used special staining techniques to examine the muscle tissues, which revealed various issues like muscle fiber damage and changes in muscle structure. Some samples showed specific patterns that are also seen in human muscle diseases, indicating similar underlying problems. The findings suggest that these enzyme tests can be helpful for diagnosing neuromuscular disorders in horses. Overall, the study supports the use of these techniques for better understanding and diagnosing muscle diseases in horses.
Abstract
Muscle biopsies from six horses with clinical histories of muscle atrophy, muscle tremors, myopathic symptoms, unsteadiness of pelvic limbs and progressive ataxia were examined. Muscle biopsies were studied with enzyme histochemical techniques to evaluate the diagnostic values of these methods in cases suspected of suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Hypertrophy, atrophy, fibre splitting, waxy degeneration, phagocytosis and necrosis were seen in haematoxylin eosin stained sections of the different cases. Fibre type predominance and fibre type grouping were seen in the calcium ion stimulated myosine ATP-ase (Ca-ATP-ase) stained sections of some cases. 'Moth-eaten fibres' were demonstrated in three cases by staining with NADH: nitro blue tetrazolium oxidoreductase (NADH-TR), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), NADH dependent malate dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase and by lactate dehydrogenase. The catabolic enzymes, acid phosphatase (ACP) and 5'-nucleotidase were active in cases with fibre phagocytosis. The oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway in myopathic tissue seemed to be important in three cases, demonstrated by the increased activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGDH). The important feature of diseased horse muscle was that the pathohistochemical changes were exactly the same as in diseased skeletal muscles of humans. The application of tissue saving enzyme histochemical techniques can be recommended in the study of muscle tissue from horses suffering from suspected neuromuscular disorders.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3366106/