Bioactive Proteins in Serum Proven Support for the Performance Horse
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By Pam Maley
What is Serum?
‘Serum’ in its scientific connotation is a component of blood plasma. The clear, straw-colored liquid portion of blood that remains after the cellular components (primarily red and white blood cells) are removed is plasma. If the proteins involved in clotting are then removed, the resulting fluid is called serum.
Scientists have identified nearly 300 proteins in serum and as advances are made in analytical techniques, at least double that number are likely to be discovered. Among these proteins are certain ‘bioactive proteins’ that provide beneficial functions such as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects and improved intestinal barrier function. These bioactive proteins include immunoglobulins, albumin, transferrin, bioactive peptides and growth factors, and can have a positive impact on mucosal surfaces (such as the lining of the intestine) when supplemented in diets for horses.
Useful Proteins
Serum contains immunoglobulins, particularly IgG, that battle against a wide array of disease-causing bacteria by binding onto the surfaces of infectious agents or toxins, inactivating them and reducing their ability to migrate through the intestinal barrier.
Serum albumin is the most abundant protein in blood plasma. Among other things, it is a major contributor to maintaining osmotic pressure, and has also been shown to have some binding affinity for bacterial LPS (lipopolysaccarides). Because LPS elicits a strong response from the normal animal immune system, this binding effect can help slow down the immune cascade.
Transferrins are iron-binding blood serum proteins that control the level of free iron in biological fluids. Transferrin is also associated with the innate immune system. It binds iron at the mucosa surface, impeding the survival of bacteria by withholding iron. Many published reports demonstrate the antimicrobial (antibacterial) effect of transferrin on a wide variety of dangerous disease-causing organisms.
Serum proteins also contain bioactive peptides such as amino acids, which have been identified as important to recovery after intestinal damage from infectious agents. Bioactive peptides aid in the formation of antibodies against disease and in the maintenance of gut barrier function and cell differentiation.
In addition, there are a substantial number of growth factors in serum proteins, found in the platelet component of blood. During the process of separating plasma from blood cells, most of the platelets remain with the plasma and later in the serum. Growth factors stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of numerous cell types.
In summary, an accumulating body of studies has demonstrated that oral administration of serum protein concentrates improves growth, normalizes gut barrier function, and reduces the severity of stress and diseases in humans, livestock and horses. Studies show that serum proteins bind harmful bacterial toxins to render them ineffective; support a stable equilibrium in the immune system; preserve gut barrier function; and promote healthy microbiota (gut flora).
The performance horse encounters enduring stress from a number of sources: a demanding training regimen, trailering, competing, even from changes in feed, severe weather or advanced age. These stressors can cause a horse’s immune system to spring into action unnecessarily, recruiting inflammatory cells to local tissue sites to produce inflammation that can be felt throughout the body.
A horse that isn’t coping well with an ongoing challenge may show it through unwillingness to train, negative behaviors, changes in demeanor, or decreased appetite due to stomach upset. Administering serum protein performance supplements supports normal immune function while reducing overstimulation of the broader common immune system. This helps the horse to recover more quickly after exercise and to be more comfortable through a show season, thereby better able to perform to the best of its ability.
