The impact of racing on serum concentrations of bone metabolism biomarkers in racing arabian camels

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of racing in Arabian camels on the serum concentrations of bone biomarkers osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP) and on bone resorption biomarker pyridinoline cross-links (PYD). Twenty-three female racing Arabian camels (Camelus dromedarius) that participated in a 5 km race were enrolled in this study. The concentrations of the bone biomarkers OC, b-ALP and PYD were determined in serum using commercial human immunoassay kits. The serum concentration of serum OC increased after race. However, there was no significant difference between the serum concentration of OC pre-and post-race. In a similar manner, the serum concentration of the bone formation b-ALP increased but not significantly post-race. On the contrary, the serum concentration of the bone resorption biomarker PYD increased significantly after racing. It is clear that the bone formation biomarkers are not influenced by the 5-km race. However, the bone resorption biomarker increased significantly. The influence of long-distance racing on these biomarkers is therefore, warranted. Understanding the effect of racing on stimulation of the bone remodelling is important for the development of strategies to increase and maintain bone mass.