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Evaluation of Urinary Big Endothelin-1 in Feline Spontaneous CKD
Marco Giraldi1,2, Saverio Paltrinieri1,2, Camilla Piazza1,2
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, Via dell'Università, 6, 26900 Lodi (LO), Italy.
Insights
Urinary big endothelin-1 (bigET-1) is elevated in advanced feline chronic kidney disease (CKD) and proteinuric cats. This biomarker may indicate CKD severity in cats, though not progression.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Nephrology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Endothelin System
Background:
- The endothelin-1 (ET-1) system plays a role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) development and progression.
- Limited data exists on urinary big endothelin-1 (bigET-1) in feline CKD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between urinary bigET-1 and feline CKD.
- To determine if urinary bigET-1 levels correlate with CKD stage, proteinuria, or serum creatinine.
Main Methods:
- Prospective collection of urine samples from healthy cats and cats with CKD (IRIS stages 1-4).
- Quantification of urinary bigET-1 using ELISA and normalization to urine creatinine (bigET-1:UC).
- Correlation analysis with serum creatinine, proteinuria, blood pressure, and CKD progression over 12 months.
Main Results:
- Urinary bigET-1:UC was significantly higher in advanced CKD stages (IRIS 3-4) compared to earlier stages (p=0.002).
- Proteinuric cats exhibited significantly higher urinary bigET-1:UC than non-proteinuric cats (p=0.029).
- No significant association was found between urinary bigET-1:UC and CKD progression over 12 months.
Conclusions:
- Urinary bigET-1 increases with advanced feline CKD stages and in proteinuric patients.
- Urinary bigET-1 may serve as an indicator of feline CKD severity.
- Further research is needed to explore the prognostic value of urinary bigET-1 in feline CKD.
Abstract:
The endothelin-1 (ET-1) system has been implicated in the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). No information on big ET-1 in feline urine is available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if urinary big endothelin-1 (bigET-1) is associated with feline CKD. Sixty urine samples were prospectively collected from 13 healthy cats at risk of developing CKD and 22 cats with CKD of different International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stages (1-4). Urinary bigET-1 was measured using a commercially available ELISA. BigET-1 normalized to urine creatinine (bigET-1:UC) was compared amongst stages and substages, as proposed by IRIS, and correlated with serum creatinine concentration, proteinuria and blood pressure. BigET-1:UC at the time of inclusion was compared between cats that remained stable and cats that progressed after 12 months. BigET-1:UC was significantly higher (p = 0.002) in cats at IRIS stages 3-4 (median: 21.9; range: 1.88-55.6), compared to all other stages, and in proteinuric (n = 8, median: 11.0; range: 0.00-46.4) compared with nonproteinuric cats (n = 38 median: 0.33; range: 0.00-55.6) (p = 0.029). BigET-1:UC was not associated with CKD progression. Urinary bigET-1 increased in advanced stages of CKD and in proteinuric patients, suggesting that ET-1 may be indicative of the severity of feline CKD.
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