Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Changes in blood amino acids in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy
By Kathrani, Aarti et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·Bristol Veterinary School, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Alterations in serum amino acid concentrations in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs diagnosed with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) had low levels of a specific amino acid called tryptophan in their blood, which could be linked to their condition. This study compared the amino acid levels in these dogs to healthy dogs and found that the PLE dogs had significantly lower tryptophan levels. While the exact cause of this decrease is unclear, it might be related to the disease itself. If your dog has PLE, discussing amino acid supplementation with your vet could be beneficial.
People also search for: dog protein-losing enteropathy treatment · low tryptophan in dogs · dog IBD amino acid supplementation
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Certain amino acids are decreased in humans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and supplementation with the same amino acids has shown beneficial effects in animal models of IBD. Currently, the amino acid status of dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: To determine if serum amino acid concentrations are abnormal in dogs with PLE and correlated with clinical and laboratory variables and outcome. ANIMALS: Thirty client-owned dogs diagnosed with PLE and 12 apparently healthy dogs seen at Bristol Veterinary School. METHODS: Retrospective study using stored residual serum from fasted dogs with PLE, collected at the time of diagnostic investigation and from apparently healthy dogs. Serum was analyzed for 30 amino acids using an automated high-performance liquid chromatography amino acid analyzer. RESULTS: Serum tryptophan concentrations were significantly decreased in dogs with PLE (median, 22 nmol/mL; range, 1-80 nmol/mL) compared with apparently healthy control dogs (median, 77.5 nmol/mL; range, 42-135 nmol/mL, P < .001). There were no significant differences in the remaining 29 serum amino acids between dogs with PLE and apparently healthy. Serum tryptophan concentrations were also significantly correlated with serum albumin concentrations in dogs with PLE (P = .001, R= 0.506). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Decreased serum tryptophan concentration might play a role in the pathogenesis of canine PLE or be a consequence of the disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29604114/