Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Urinary microRNAs in healthy cats and cats with kidney infections
By Jessen, Lisbeth R et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Stability and profiling of urinary microRNAs in healthy cats and cats with pyelonephritis or other urological conditions.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with urinary issues, including five with pyelonephritis (a kidney infection), were studied to see if certain microRNAs in their urine could help diagnose their condition. Researchers found that one specific microRNA, miR-16, was significantly higher in cats with pyelonephritis compared to healthy cats and those with other urinary problems. This suggests that measuring miR-16 could be a useful way to identify kidney infections in cats. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand their implications for treatment.
People also search for: cat kidney infection symptoms · cat urinary problems treatment · what does miR-16 mean in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Specific biomarkers of pyelonephritis (PN) in cats are lacking. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have diagnostic potential in human nephropathies. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence/stability of miRNAs in whole urine of cats and the discriminatory potential of selected urinary miRNAs for PN in cats. ANIMALS: Twelve healthy cats, 5 cats with PN, and 13 cats with chronic kidney disease (n = 5), subclinical bacteriuria (n = 3), and ureteral obstructions (n = 5) recruited from 2 companion animal hospitals. METHODS: Prospective case-control study. Expression profiles of 24 miRNAs were performed by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Effect of storage temperature (4°C [24 hours], -20°C, and -80°C) was determined for a subset of miRNAs in healthy cats. RESULTS: Urinary miR-4286, miR-30c, miR-204, miR4454, miR-21, miR-16, miR-191, and miR-30a were detected. For the majority of miRNAs tested, storage at 4°C and -20°C resulted in significantly lower miRNA yield compared to storage at -80°C (mean log2fold changes across miRNAs from -0.5  ± 0.4 SD to -1.20 ± 0.4 SD (4°C versus -80°C) and from -0.7 ± 0.2 SD to -1.20 ± 0.3 SD (-20°C versus -80°C)). Cats with PN had significantly upregulated miR-16 with a mean log2fold change of 1.0 ± 0.4 SD, compared with controls (-0.1 ± 0.2, P = .01) and other urological conditions (0.6 ± 0.3, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Upregulation of miR16 might be PN-specific, pathogen-specific (Escherichia coli), or both.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31721298/