Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Test to measure tumor necrosis factor alpha in cat blood serum
By Steiner, Joerg M et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2014·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Development and analytical validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the measurement of feline tumor necrosis factor α in serum.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with chronic digestive issues, including diarrhea, had their blood tested for a protein called tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which is linked to inflammation. Researchers developed a new test to measure TNF-α levels in cat blood and found that cats with diarrhea had significantly higher levels compared to healthy cats or those without diarrhea. This test can help veterinarians better understand and manage chronic digestive problems in cats. The findings suggest that monitoring TNF-α could be important for treating these conditions effectively.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a cytokine shown to play a crucial role in human Crohn's disease patients, has not been documented in cats with chronic enteropathies. Also, currently, no validated assay for measurement of TNF-α in cats is available. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to develop and analytically validate an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantification of TNF-α in serum from cats. METHODS: A sandwich ELISA was developed and analytically validated by assessment of detection limit, linearity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. A control range for serum fTNF-α concentration in healthy cats was established. In addition, serum concentrations of fTNF-α in 39 cats with chronic enteropathies were compared with those in 20 healthy cats. RESULTS: The detection limit of the assay was 38.4 ng/L. Observed-to-expected ratios for serial dilutions of 4 serum samples ranged from 75.1% to 111.9%. Observed-to-expected ratios for spiking recovery for 4 serum samples ranged from 91.3% to 129.7%. Coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-assay variability ranged from 3.9% to 7.6% and from 7.8% to 12.5%, respectively. The control range of the assay was < 38.4-223.5 ng/L. Serum concentrations of feline TNF-α were significantly higher in cats with chronic enteropathies and diarrhea than in cats with chronic enteropathies without diarrhea, or in healthy control cats. CONCLUSIONS: The ELISA described here was suitable for the quantification of fTNF-α in feline serum and should facilitate research into the importance of TNF-α in cats with chronic enteropathies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24976216/