Release of Heat-Shock Protein Hsp72 After Exercise and Supplementation With an Opuntia ficus indica Extract TEX-OE

During exercise, a number of physiological and metabolic events occur. These include a rise in core and muscle temperature, oxidative stress, altered pH, and structural damage to muscle proteins. Heat-shock proteins (Hsp) are produced in response to different stress involving exercise and heat. Four polo ponies participated in the study. Blood samples were withdrawn 30 and 120 min after the beginning of a chukka. The same group of horses repeated the same test several weeks later; for that test, the ponies ingested 10 g of a powdered cactus-pear extract 6 h before the game. The blood concentration of Hsp72 was determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Blood Hsp72 significantly increased 120 min after the beginning of the exercise when the animals did not receive the supplement. Administration of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) patented natural extract TEX-OE resulted in a significant increase of Hsp72 only 30 min after the beginning of the exercise. The extract had no effect on the level of Hsp72 before the beginning of the exercise. This study is the first to show that exercise can increase Hsp72 in the peripheral circulation of horses. Accelerating Hsp response time with prickly pear cactus extract will protect proteins in muscles and other tissues as well as foster repair and recovery of stressed cells. The use of the supplement will improve resistance to physical stress and should be included in optimal training regimens for competing horses. Authors’ addresses: Recovery Science Company, 37 Skyline Drive, Groton, CT 06340 (Martinod); Equine Internal Medicine, 4901 Mount Horeb Pike, Lexington, KY 40511 (Bernard); and Texinfine, 60 Rue Duquesclin, 69006 Lyon, France (Serrar, Gutierrez); e-mail: [email protected]. © 2007 AAEP.