Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New blood test proteins found for pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer
By Meachem, Melissa D et al.·Published in Canadian journal of veterinary research = Revue canadienne de recherche veterinaire·2015·Department of Veterinary Pathology (Meachem, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A comparative proteomic study of plasma in feline pancreatitis and pancreatic carcinoma using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis to identify diagnostic biomarkers: A pilot study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer were studied to find better ways to diagnose these conditions. The researchers compared the blood proteins of healthy cats to those with pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. They found that certain proteins, like alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and apolipoproteins, were present in different amounts in cats with pancreatic disease, indicating changes in their health. This research could lead to new tests that help veterinarians diagnose these serious conditions more accurately in the future.
People also search for: cat pancreatitis symptoms · cat pancreatic cancer diagnosis · feline pancreatitis treatment options
Abstract
While pancreatitis is now recognized as a common ailment in cats, the diagnosis remains challenging due to discordant results and suboptimal sensitivity of ultrasound and specific feline pancreatic lipase (Spec fPL) assay. Pancreatitis also shares similar clinical features with pancreatic carcinoma, a rare but aggressive disease with a grave prognosis. The objective of this pilot study was to compare the plasma proteomes of normal healthy cats (n = 6), cats with pancreatitis (n = 6), and cats with pancreatic carcinoma (n = 6) in order to identify potential new biomarkers of feline pancreatic disease. After plasma protein separation by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, protein spots were detected by Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 staining and identified by mass spectrometry. Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), apolipoprotein-A1 (Apo-A1), and apolipoprotein-A1 precursor (Pre Apo-A1) appeared to be differentially expressed, which suggests the presence of a systemic acute-phase response and alteration of lipid metabolism in cats with pancreatic disease. Future studies involving greater case numbers are needed in order to assess the utility of these proteins as potential biomarkers. More sensitive proteomic techniques may also be helpful in detecting significant but low-abundance proteins.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26130850/