Selenium, copper and zinc contents in brown, black and white mane, coat and tail hairs in horses of two locations

Abstract

Schlüsselwörter: Spurenelemente, Versorgungsstatus, Pferdehaare, Lebensräume, Haararten, Nachweis, Fütterung Selenium, copper and zinc contents in brown, black and white mane, coat and tail hairs in horses of two locationsThe hair analysis is a method also to control the supply of trace elements. In horses, there is this little systematic investigation. The aim of the study was in German riding horses to analyze possible effects of hair localization, pigmentation and gender as well as of different habitat for Se, Cu and Zn hair, to describe reference values for mane, coat and tail hair and to formulate a diagnostic procedure. We investigated in September black, brown and white mane, coat and tail hair of 73 healthy German riding horses, including 33 horses (13 geldings, 20 mares) in Bavaria and 40 (22 geldings, 18 mares) in Lower Saxony. They were fed only with oats and hay from the respective regions without additional mineral mixtures and were daily grazing. 82Se, 63Cu and 68Zn in the hair were measured by the ICP-MS Perkin Elmer ELAN 6000. Mane and tail hair contained significantly more Se and Cu as a coat (p < 0.05). The mane saved more Zn than coat and tail hair (p < 0.05). Se was most in black hair (p < 0.05). The pigmentation did not affect the Zn and Cu content of horse hair. In Se, the 10th and 90th percentiles overlapped in brown and black hair, and lay between 450 -1700 µg Se/kg DM; in white hair, they ranged from 325 -1600 µg/kg DM. In Cu fluctuated the 10th to 90th percentile in mane and tail hair between 4.6 to 7.9 mg/kg DM for all pigmentations. White hair stored Zn significantly more than the black (p < 0.05); percentiles ranged from 127 to 180 mg Zn/kg DM, in brown and black between 119 -178 mg Zn/kg MD. The sex of the horse did not affect significantly the Se, Cu and Zn content of the hair. The habitat in Bavaria and Lower Saxony influenced by different offer the Se and Cu state in hair significantly and supports the hypothesis that horse hair can indicate their status in the deficiency or surplus. The Zn contents in the horse hair of the two locations were almost identical. Diagnostically blood tests of Se, Cu and Zn reflect actual deficiency situations well, the hair analysis informs about possible supply disorders in longer periods. For Se and Cu analyses are mane and coat hairs preferable to the tail hair. Lower limits are noted for Se in white hair.Keywords: trace elements, supply status, horse hair, types of hair, habitats, Zitation: Ratjen A., Anke M., Fürll M. (2017) Selen-, Kupfer-und Zink-Gehalte in braunen, schwarzen sowie weißen Deck-, Mähnen-und Schweifhaaren bei Pferden zweier Standorte. Pferdeheilkunde 33, 59-65;