Metabolomic serum abnormalities in dogs with hepatopathies

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Metabolomics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Hepatopathies significantly disrupt normal metabolism in animals.
• Understanding metabolic alterations is crucial for diagnosing and managing liver diseases in dogs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare serum metabolomic profiles in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts (cPSS) and high serum liver enzyme activities (HLEA) against healthy controls.
• To identify potential biomarkers for differentiating canine hepatopathies using metabolomics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a targeted proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy platform to analyze 123 serum metabolic parameters.
• Employed principal component analysis (PCA) for metabolomic pattern visualization and machine learning for group classification.

Main Results:

• Distinct metabolic clustering was observed among control, cPSS, and HLEA groups.
• cPSS dogs exhibited higher phenylalanine and tyrosine, lower branched-chained amino acids (BCAAs), and altered fatty acids.
• HLEA dogs showed increased BCAAs, phenylalanine, and various lipoproteins compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• Serum metabolomics can effectively differentiate canine hepatopathies.
• Metabolic profiles offer insights into the pathophysiology and potential diagnostic tools for liver diseases in dogs.