The present study was carried out to evaluate the role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiologic process of
acute renal failure associated with exertional
rhabdomyolysis (ER) in Egyptian horses. ER was tentatively diagnosed in 31 Baladi horses based on case history, physical examination findings and confirmed by elevation of plasma
creatine kinase (CK) and urine
myoglobin concentrations. According to severity of the condition, the diseased horses were categorized into two main groups; the first group included 18 horses with minimal clinical signs and plasma CK <60 000 IU/L; whereas, the second group included 13 horses with overt clinical signs and plasma CK >100 000 IU/L). It was found that plasma
creatol (CTL) was positively correlated (p < 0.01) with plasma
malondialdehyde (MDA) (r = 0.775),
nitric oxide (NO) (r = 0.768), methyguanididne (MG) (r = 0.995), CK (r = 0.768), urine
glucose (r = 0.778), urine
protein (r = 0.767),
renal failure index (RFI) (r = 0.814) and urine
sodium (r = 0.799) and negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with total
antioxidant capacity (TAC) (r = -0.795),
superoxide dismutase (SOD) (r = -0.815),
glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (r = -0.675),
Vitamin C (r = -0.830), urine
creatinine (r = -0.800), urine/plasma
creatinine ratio (r = -0.827) and urine/plasma
urea ratio (r = -0.807). The correlation between these biochemical variables might suggest a possible role of oxidative stress in renal injury associated with severe
rhabdomyolysis in horses. It is suggested that exaggeration of oxidative stress associated with increased muscle membrane leakage plays a key role in
acute kidney injury in Baladi horses with severe
rhabdomyolysis.