Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Proteomic Characterization of Canine Gastric Fluid by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for Development of Protein Biomarkers in Regurgitation, Vomiting, and Cough.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2021
- Authors:
- Grobman, Megan et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at the stomach fluid of dogs to find proteins that could help identify issues like regurgitation (bringing food back up), vomiting, and coughing. Researchers collected samples from 23 dogs, some healthy and some showing these symptoms, and analyzed the proteins present in their stomach fluid and throat swabs. They found significant differences in protein levels between healthy dogs and those that were vomiting or coughing, suggesting that certain proteins might indicate problems related to reflux (when stomach contents come back up) or aspiration (when those contents enter the lungs). The results show that the types and amounts of proteins vary widely among dogs, which means more research is needed to develop reliable tests for these conditions. Overall, the study suggests that the presence of specific proteins in coughing dogs could point to reflux or aspiration as possible causes.
Abstract
Reflux and aspiration in people cause and exacerbate respiratory diseases in the absence of gastrointestinal signs. Protein biomarkers in humans detect extraesophageal reflux (EER) from oropharyngeal (OP) and bronchoalveloar lavage samples. Reflux likely contributes to respiratory disease in dogs. The objectives of this study were to analyze the canine gastric fluid (GF) proteome and compare this to the OP proteome in normal, vomiting/regurgitating, and coughing dogs to identify biomarkers for EER/aspiration. Twenty-three client-owned dogs were enrolled. Canine GF samples (= 5) and OP swabs in normal (= 6), vomiting/regurgitating (= 7), and coughing (= 5) dogs were within 2 weeks of sample collection. Protein digests were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Differential abundance (DA) of proteins between groups was evaluated by Fisher's exact test with< 0.0004 significance level after correction for multiple comparisons. DA was found between all groups (< 0.0001): GF vs. normal (= 130 proteins), coughing vs. normal (= 22 proteins), and vomiting/regurgitating vs. normal (= 20 proteins). Protein abundance was highly variable between dogs. Gastrointestinal-specific proteins were found in OP swabs from vomiting/regurgitating and coughing dogs but not from healthy dogs. In conclusion, the proteomic composition of the OP varies between health and disease. The presence of gastrointestinal-specific proteins in OP of coughing dogs may suggest reflux and/or aspiration as contributing factors. The variable protein abundance warrants investigation into biomarker panels.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34307522/