USING NMR TO MANAGE NON-UNIFORM SAMPLES AND PROBE THE METABOLOMIC PROFILE OF LAMINITIS IN HORSE BLOOD SERUM

Abstract

Laminitis is a painful and sometimes debilitating condition that affects horses and their hooves. Diet, insulin resistance, obesity and other factors are thought to be linked to laminitis incidence, but the mechanisms behind and characteristic metabolites of the condition remain unknown. Here, blood serum samples from 74 laminitic and control horses were studied with 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis techniques to test for the presence of a measurable laminitis metabolomic profile or “fingerprint”. A workflow for modelling non-uniform samples was developed, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) plots were optimized to characterize metabolite differences between laminitic and control samples, and 1D back-calculated coefficient plots identified significant compounds. Variance within and between two groups of samples was also studied. Ultimately, this research elucidates important factors in handling non-uniform samples and developing acceptable statistical models through NMR spectroscopy and modelling. Furthermore, this study sheds light on previously uncharacterized metabolomic profiles and provide a foundation for the future development of treatments for the underlying causes of laminitis.