We have recently reported that the histologic changes which have previously been described in cases of bovine laminitis were also found in the dermis and epidermis of the claws of sows.
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In dairy cows the most common disorder within the horny tissues of the hoof is laminitis, which is the generic term for conditions in which the sensitive dermal structures between the pedal bone and the hoof horn are damaged. When nutrient supply to keratinocytes is compromised or completely altered due to nutrient deficiency or inflammation of the dermis, inferior horn is produced. Because the epidermis is an avascular tissue, keratinocytes depend on the microvasculature of the corium for oxygen and nutrients supply by diffusion across the basement membrane. Keratinization is a complex process of differentiation of epidermal cells, characterized by a high rate of synthesis of keratin proteins as well as intercellular cementing substances and finalized by the programmed death of the living epidermal cells (i.e., cornification) that turns the living epidermal cells into dead horn cells.
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The quality and integrity of the hoof epidermis essentially depends on normal keratinization. Hoof lesions in sows have been associated with lameness and poor hoof horn quality. Partial substitution of the inorganic zinc, copper and manganese in sows’ diet with their chelated complexes, provided a comparative advantage against a conventional, inorganic mineral source diet, at least under the conditions examined in the current study, in terms of macroscopic, histologic and morphometric criteria, characterizing the health and horn quality status of sows’ hooves. Morphometrically, the density and vertical and horizontal diameters of the horn tubules was significantly higher and smaller, respectively, in the hoof horn of sows which received the “organic” compared to those which received the “inorganic” source diet. The claws of the sows which received the organic diet were more likely to have none or less histologic changes than at least one or more, respectively, compared to those of the sows on the “inorganic” diet. Histologically, lamellar hyperplasia was the most frequently recorded change in the epidermis of the sows’ claws regardless of the diet’s mineral source. ResultsĬlinically, the total claw lesion score was significantly lower in claws of sows which received the “organic” diet compared to those of sows on the “inorganic” diet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of diet supplementation with chelated zinc, copper and manganese, partially substituting their inorganic form, on sow claw health and hoof horn quality assessed by macroscopic, histologic and morphometric examination. Trace elements, particularly zinc, copper and manganese, occupy important roles as enzyme catalysts in the process of keratin synthesis which determines the quality and the integrity of the hoof epidermis.
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Histologic changes that have previously been described in cases of bovine laminitis, have also been observed in the dermis and epidermis of the sows’ claws. The mechanical strength and quality of hoof horn is determined by the density and diameter of horn tubules, which were recently associated with the severity of lesions on the hoof wall of sows.