Understanding creatine kinase levels in healthy dogs and cats and

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Information about the electrophoretic distribution of CK-MM, CK-MB, and CK-BB, serum creatine kinase (CK) isoenzymes that are indicators of skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and brain lesions, respectively, and CK macroenzymes (macro-CK1 and macro-CK2) in dogs and cats with and without central neurologic disease is scant and equivocal. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to describe the electrophoretic distribution of CK isoenzymes and macroenzymes in healthy dogs and cats and to provide a preliminary assessment of the utility of CK enzymatic electrophoresis in dogs and cats with central neurologic disease. METHODS: Electrophoretic separation of serum CK isoenzymes and macroenzymes was performed on freeze-thawed serum samples from 20 healthy dogs and 3 dogs with central neurologic disease and from 14 healthy cats and 6 cats with neurologic feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Electrophoretic separation was also performed on supernatants of homogenized brain, skeletal muscle, and cardiac muscle from both species, to assess the tissue distribution of isoenyzmes in dogs and cats. RESULTS: CK-MM was the predominant isoenzyme in the serum of healthy dogs and cats, followed by macro-CK2 and CK-BB in dogs and by both macroenzymes in cats. In dogs, CK-MB was essentially absent from both serum and homogenized hearts. CK-BB increased in dogs with neurologic disease. In cats, CK-BB was essentially absent from serum, but was present in brain homogenates. Two of 6 cats with FIP had increased macro-CK1 and increased CK-BB activity. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified the electophoretic distribution of CK isoenzymes and macroenzymes of dogs and cats and provided encouraging data about the possible use of CK-BB as a biomarker for canine neurologic disorders, but not for FIP.