The examination of biophysical parameters of skin (transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and pH value) in different body regions of ponies

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and skin pH in normal ponies. Sixteen ponies of both sexes were examined in the study. Measurements were taken from seven different sites: the neck region, the shoulder, thorax, lumbar, inguinal, lip region and the auricle. In each of the regions transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and skin pH were measured. For transepidermal water loss, the lowest values were observed in the lumbar region (9.71g/hm2), while the highest values were observed in the lip region (22.35 g/hm2). In the case of skin hydration the lowest values were observed for the thorax region (2.13 CU), and the highest for the lip region (41.81 CU). For skin pH, the lowest results were obtained in the lumbar region (6.93), and the highest in the lip region (7.96).

Influence of horse breed on transepidermal water loss

“…Published research reports on this parameter in horses discussed the effect of sex and body region on TEWL (also skin hydration and skin pH were examined). These studies corroborated the claim that TEWL values differ significantly according to the body region under investigation (Szczepanik et al 2012(Szczepanik et al , 2013 and in "Felin" ponies, a greater variability between the body regions assessed was observed (10 statistically significant differences) than in Polish koniks (6 statistically significant differences, only in one body region). Sex of the animals, however, was not found to influence TEWL values.…”

The examination of biophysical skin parameters (transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and pH value) in different body regions in Polish ponies

“…Gillard et al (2009) reported statistically significant differences between long-and short-haired breeds. When comparing the results obtained in the present study with the results obtained for "Felin" ponies (Szczepanik et al 2012), higher values were observed for the parameter in all regions assessed, which may mean that, similarly to dogs, TEWL values may depend on horse breed as well.…”

“…(to measure skin pH, results on the pH scale). The same instrumentation was used in previous studies in dogs, cats and ponies (Young et al 2002, Hester et al 2004, Yoshihara et al 2004, Shimada et al 2009, Hightower et al 2010, Szczepanik et al 2011, Szczepanik et al 2012. For all parameters, the mean, standard deviation and median were calculated.…”

“…Apart from few publications pertaining to the assessment of skin pH (Meyer andNeurand 1991, Matousek 2002) and one publication describing the assessment of skin pH, TEWL and skin hydration (Szczepanik et al 2012), the information about the value of biophysical skin parameters in horses is scarce. The examination of the location of the values of the parameter (skin mapping) in clinically healthy animals is a necessary condition for the application of biophysical skin parameters assessment in the course of treating various diseases, including their application in horses.…”

“…Variations in the value of the parameters also depend on the body region, therefore the place of measurement should be taken into consideration in the interpretation of results. Changes in the values of parameters caused by these factors were examined in dogs (Meyer and Neurand 1991, Matousek et al 2002, Watson et al 2002, Young et al 2002, Hester et al 2004, Yoshihara et al 2007, Gillard et al 2009, Oh and Oh 2009, Shimada et al 2009), in cats (Bourdeau et al 2004, Szczepanik et al 2011, and horses (Szczepanik et al 2012).…”