Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Atrial protein changes in boxers with heart disease ARVC
By Vila, J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary cardiology : the official journal of the European Society of Veterinary Cardiology·2017·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Structural and molecular pathology of the atrium in boxer arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 13 Boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) showed changes in their heart tissue that could lead to irregular heartbeats. Researchers found that specific proteins in the heart's atria were reduced in these dogs compared to healthy dogs, indicating damage associated with the disease. This suggests that Boxers with ARVC may be at risk for developing atrial arrhythmias, which are abnormal heart rhythms. Understanding these changes can help veterinarians better diagnose and treat heart issues in Boxers.
People also search for: Boxer dog heart problems · arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in dogs · Boxer dog irregular heartbeat treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and distribution of desmosomal and gap junction proteins of the intercalated disc in the atria of boxers with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). ANIMALS: Nineteen control dogs and 13 boxers with histopathologically confirmed ARVC. METHODS: Right and left atrial samples were examined using immunofluorescence and Western blots. The intercalated disc proteins investigated included total and phosphorylated connexin43 (Cx43 and pCx43), connexin45, connexin40, plakoglobin, plakophilin-2, desmoplakin, and N-cadherin. RESULTS: Histopathological changes characteristic of ARVC were present in the left or right atrium of 12 out of 13 boxers and were absent in all control dogs. When compared to the 19 control dogs, immunofluorescence analysis revealed a decrease in signal intensity for pCx43 and plakoglobin in the left (p = 0.03 and p = 0.014, respectively) and right atrium (p = 0.015 and p = 0.002, respectively) of affected boxers. Connexin43 and pCx43 Western blot band density was significantly decreased in the left (p = 0.025 and p = 0.027, respectively) and right atrium (p = 0.001 and p = 0.044, respectively) of affected boxers. CONCLUSION: Altered intercalated disc and gap junction proteins were identified in atrial myocardium of ARVC boxers, supporting atrial involvement as part of this disorder. Reduction in pCx43 in conjunction with histological changes could represent the substrate for atrial arrhythmias associated with ARVC. Furthermore, these findings detected in boxer dogs, lend support for the broader term, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, as preferred nomenclature used to describe this disease in humans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27769725/