Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tryptophan levels in female dogs before and after spay for pyometra
By Dąbrowski, Roman et al.·Published in Theriogenology·2015·Department and Clinic of Animal Reproduction·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum tryptophan and its metabolites in female dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy as treatment of pyometra or as elective spay surgery.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of female dogs undergoing spay surgery, either for a bacterial uterine infection called pyometra or as an elective procedure, had their blood tested for certain substances before and after surgery. The dogs with pyometra showed lower levels of tryptophan and higher levels of other substances compared to healthy dogs. After surgery, the tryptophan levels returned to normal within ten days, but some indicators of inflammation remained elevated. This suggests that monitoring these substances could help veterinarians assess recovery from surgery and inflammation related to pyometra.
People also search for: dog pyometra treatment · spay surgery recovery for dogs · elevated inflammation markers in dogs
Abstract
This study compares serum concentrations of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), kynurenic acid (KYNA), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity in healthy bitches and bitches with bacterial uterine infection (pyometra). The effects of surgery were also assessed by measuring these variables in both groups of dogs before and after ovariohysterectomy. Presurgery, mean (±standard deviation) TRP, KYN, and KYNA concentrations and IDO activity were 68.44 ± 21.77, 2.00 ± 0.33, 112.11 ± 111.91 μmol/L, and 29.22 ± 10.10, respectively, in the healthy dogs; and 40.16 ± 12.11, 8.27 ± 3.94, 411.11 ± 199.60 μmol/L, and 205.92 ± 154.20, respectively, in the dogs with pyometra. Tryptophan and KYN levels had normalized on suture removal (10 days after surgery) though IDO activity and KYNA concentrations remained elevated during the postoperative period compared with presurgery values in both study groups. Our results suggest that KYNA concentrations and IDO activity could be useful indicators of the inflammation induced by pyometra and could be also used to monitor recovery following ovariohysterectomy in both healthy dogs and dogs with pyometra.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25670154/