Abstract
Objective
To determine whether quantification of myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity could be a useful laboratory technique to detect granulocyte infiltration in equine intestinal tissues.
Sample Population
Intestinal tissue (inflamed or healthy) collected from 16 age- and sex-matched Shetland Ponies.
Procedure
Intestinal tissue MPO activity was determined, and histologic assessment of adjacent specimens from healthy and inflamed intestine was done.
Results
Intestinal tissue MPO activity and histopathologic score increased with time after castor oil challenge and peaked at 16 hours in an equine diarrhea model in which individual ponies provided their own control tissues.
Conclusions
Intestinal tissue inflammation scores correlated positively with tissue MPO activity in adjacent specimens.
Clinical Relevance
Tissue MPO assay may be a useful laboratory tool to quantify intestinal mucosal inflammation in ponies. (Am J Vet Res 1999;60:807–813)