Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How liver disease affects PON-1 enzyme activity in dogs
By Sara Meazzi et al.·Published in Animals·2024·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Exploring the Relationship between Canine Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) Serum Activity and Liver Disease Classified by Clinico-Pathological Evaluation
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having liver problems were tested for a liver enzyme called paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) to see how it related to their condition. The study included 160 dogs, with some showing signs of liver injury and others liver failure. It was found that dogs with liver failure had significantly lower levels of PON-1 compared to healthy dogs and those with liver injury. However, the enzyme levels were not reliable indicators of liver disease severity, especially in dogs with jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or cloudy serum. This means that while PON-1 levels can provide some information, they should be interpreted carefully when assessing liver health in dogs.
People also search for: dog liver disease symptoms · low PON-1 in dogs · liver failure treatment for dogs
Abstract
Paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), a liver-synthesized enzyme, acts as a negative acute-phase reactant during systemic inflammation in dogs. Given the hepatic synthesis of this enzyme, the presence of liver diseases may influence PON-1, thus affecting its reliability as a biomarker for inflammatory/oxidative systemic diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate PON-1 activity variations among dogs suspected of liver injury or failure, evaluating the influence of hepatic diseases on PON-1 activity. A total of one-hundred-sixty dogs were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into three groups based on clinical presentation and laboratory results: control (C = 20), suspected liver injury (INJ = 114), and suspected liver failure (FAIL = 26). The INJ group was further divided into subgroups based on the severity of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increase. Both the INJ and FAIL groups were further divided based on serum macroscopic appearance. The PON-1 activity was quantified using a paraoxon-based method, which is already validated in dogs. No significant difference in PON-1 activity was observed between the C and INJ groups, despite a significant increase in the subgroups with moderate and severe elevations of ALT. The dogs with icteric serum exhibited decreased PON-1 activity, while lipemic serum was associated with an increased PON-1 activity. A significant reduction in PON-1 activity was noted in the FAIL group, compared to both C and INJ groups (<i>p</i> < 0.0001), regardless of serum appearance. Given the retrospective nature of this study, additional evaluations (e.g., histopathology, imaging) were not performed. The results obtained here suggest the importance of interpreting PON-1 activity cautiously in dogs with suspected liver disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14192886