Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sex hormones do not increase choline production in cats
By Valtolina, Chiara et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2015·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: No up-regulation of the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase pathway and choline production by sex hormones in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy male and female cats were studied to see if sex hormones affected choline production, which is important for liver health. Researchers took liver samples before and after spaying or neutering and found no significant differences in choline levels or liver function between the sexes or before and after the procedures. This suggests that, unlike in other animals, sex hormones do not play a role in choline synthesis in cats. Therefore, spaying or neutering is unlikely to increase the risk of liver disease related to choline deficiency in cats.
People also search for: cat liver disease symptoms · spaying effects on cat health · feline hepatic lipidosis causes
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL) is a common cholestatic disease affecting cats of any breed, age and sex. Both choline deficiency and low hepatic phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) activity are associated with hepatic lipidosis (HL) in humans, mice and rats. The PEMT expression is known to be upregulated by oestrogens, protecting the females in these species from the development of HL when exposed to choline deficient diets. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of sex hormones on choline synthesis via the PEMT pathway in healthy male and female cats before and after spaying/neutering, when fed a diet with recommended dietary choline content. RESULTS: From six female and six male cats PEMT activity was assayed directly in liver biopsies taken before and after spaying/neutering, and assessed indirectly by analyses of PEMT-specific hepatic phosphatidylcholine (PC) species and plasma choline levels. Hepatic PEMT activity did not differ between intact female and male cats and no changes upon spaying/neutering were observed. Likewise, no significant differences in liver PC content and PEMT-specific polyunsaturated PC species were found between the sexes and before or after spaying/neutering. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that choline synthesis in cats differs from what is observed in humans, mice and rats. The lack of evident influence of sex hormones on the PEMT pathway makes it unlikely that spaying/neutering predisposes cats for HL by causing PC deficiency as suggested in other species.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26552767/