Resumen:
Several concerns exist regarding horse rearing such as environmental pollution, antibiotics resistance,
digestive disorders, mycotoxins contamination of animal feed, gut health management, and improvement
of feed efficiency. Nanoparticles have the potential to address these issues and thus could be used
as feed additive. Citrate reduces and stabilizes gold nanoparticles, alongside biosynthesized silver
nanoparticles have the potential to prolong and improve digestive enzyme activity, which would
enhance starch digestibility in the stomach. Zinc oxide and selenium nanoparticles could be used to
improve feed digestibility and volatile fatty acids production. Magnesium oxide, silver, and copper
nanoparticles exhibit strong antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative microbes
and weaken the biofilm formation of the microbial community. Calcium, zinc, and silver nanoparticles
could be used to prevent periodontal disease in horses. In addition, silver nanoparticles may be applied
as antifasciolitics and potentially against other gastrointestinal parasites. Environmental concern of
equines could be addressed by using cerium oxide, silver, and cobalt nanoparticles to reduce methane
emission and zinc oxide could help to reduce fecal mineral output. Fullerol C60[OH]24, a honey-derived
silver nanoparticle and zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibit attractive antibacterial properties because of
increased specific surface area as the reduced particle enhance unit surface reactivity. Gut health
management of equines could be solved with nanoparticles because of the ability of ferrous oxide and
copper nanoparticles to improve microbial growth, whereas zinc oxide improves villus height, crypt
depth, and villous surface area. It is required to explore in depth the beneficial effects of these nanoparticles
as a novel area in the equine industry's both in vitro and in vivo before recommendation to
equine owners.
