Differential Proteomic Expression of Equine Cardiac and Lamellar Tissue During Insulin-Induced Laminitis

Endocrinopathic laminitis is pathologically similar to the multi-organ dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy found in human patients with metabolic syndrome.  Similarly, endocrinopathic laminitis has been shown to partially result from vascular dysfunction. However, despite extensive research, the pathogenesis of this disease is not well elucidated and laminitis remains without an effective treatment. Here, we sought to identify novel proteins and pathways underlying the development of equine endocrinopathic laminitis. Healthy Standardbred horses (n=4/group) were either given an electrolyte infusion, or a 48-hour euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Cardiac and lamellar tissues were analyzed by mass spectrometry (FDR=0.05). All hyperinsulinemic horses developed laminitis despite being previously healthy. We identified 538 and 737 unique proteins in the cardiac and lamellar proteomes, respectively. In the lamellar tissue, we identified 14 proteins which were significantly upregulated and 1...