Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility and Hematological Responses of Horses Administered Ascorbic Acid and Exposed to Road Transportation

The experiment was performed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of ascorbic acid (AA) on some hematological parameters and erythrocyte osmotic fragility (EOF) in horses transported by road. A total of 14 horses, consisting of seven experimental and seven control horses, were used for the experiment. Before the transportation, blood samples were obtained by jugular venipuncture from all the horses. Experimental horses were administered with AA (200 mg/kg dissolved in 20 mL of distilled water per os), whereas the control horses were given 20 mL of distilled water per os. Thereafter, the animals were transported for 6 hours and blood samples collected after transportation. Packed cell volume and hemoglobin concentration were higher (P < .05) in experimental than the control group, whereas total leukocytes reduced significantly (P < .05) in experimental in comparison with the control horses. Lymphocyte, neutrophil counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and total protein decreased in experimental horses in comparison with control, but they were not significant (P > .05). Erythrocyte osmotic fragility was lower in experimental than the control at 0.3% NaCl concentration (P < .05). The result of the present study revealed that AA ameliorated changes in hematological parameters and EOF induced by road transport stress, partly because of its antioxidant properties.