Renoprotective effects of docosahexaenoic acid in cats with early chronic kidney disease due to polycystic kidney disease: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Lipids containing n-3 fatty acids have been reported to have protective effects on renal function, with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) expected to be particularly effective. However, no reports have demonstrated the renoprotective effects of DHA-enriched lipids in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, the aim of this pilot study was to examine the renoprotective effects of DHA-enriched fish oil in cats. METHODS: Five healthy cats and five cats with early non-azotaemic CKD due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) were orally administered DHA-enriched fish oil in liquid form (250 or 500 mg/kg body weight [BW] and 250 mg/kg BW of DHA, respectively) for 28 days. Inappropriately dilute urine and markedly increased urinary N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG) index were detected in cats with PKD before DHA-enriched fish oil administration. Changes in the fatty acid composition ratio in the blood of all 10 cats were assessed after orally administering 250 mg/kg of DHA. RESULTS: Post-administration, no adverse clinical effects were observed, and blood and urine tests were within the reference intervals in healthy cats. Cats with PKD showed significantly decreased serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urinary NAG index at post-administration. Furthermore, oral administration of DHA-enriched fish oils significantly decreased the blood concentration ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) in cats with PKD post-administration. Furthermore, the concentration ratio of DHA in the blood significantly increased in both healthy cats and cats with PKD, and the DHA:AA ratio also increased. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Oral administration of DHA-enriched fish oils for 28 days significantly decreased blood AA levels and significantly increased DHA concentration and DHA:AA ratios in cats with PKD, and improved the SDMA, UPC and urinary NAG index, suggesting its potential for renoprotective effects in cats with early non-azotaemic CKD due to PKD.

Epidemiological evaluation of cats associated with feline polycystic kidney disease caused by the feline PKD1 genetic mutation in Japan.

Feline polycystic kidney disease (PKD), an inherited autosomal dominant disease, has been reported to occur mostly in Persian or Persian related cats, and to be associated with a mutation from C to A at position 10063 in exon 29 of the feline PKD1 gene (PKD1 mutation). Many clinical cases have been recognized in Japan, but the mutation rate in cats has not been reported. The objective of this study was to determine epidemiological characteristics and clinical features in cats with the PKD1 mutation. Referring veterinarians sent blood samples of 377 cats for the PKD1 gene evaluation. The blood samples were from 159 cats with renal cysts confirmed by ultrasonography, 60 cats without renal cysts, and 158 cats that did not undergo ultrasonography. In total, 150 cats carried the PKD1 mutation and the signalment, site and number of renal cysts, and results of blood test were evaluated in cats with the PKD1 mutation. The breeds with the highest rate of the PKD1 mutation were Persian (46%), Scottish Fold (54%) and American Shorthair cats (47%). However, mixed breed cats also showed high rates of the PKD1 mutation. Of cats with the mutation, the incidence of high plasma creatinine (≥1.6 mg/dl) was greater in cats ≥3 years old, although a few cats ≥9 years of age had low plasma creatinine (<1.6 mg/dl). The coincidence of renal and hepatic cysts was 12.6%, with the high prevalence in Persian cats (31%).

Epidermoid cyst of the ileum in a miniature dachshund dog.

A 13-year-old castrated male miniature dachshund dog was presented with chronic vomiting and diarrhea. Contrast radiography and surgical exploration revealed an ileal cyst, which was excised. A diagnosis of epidermoid cyst was made from a combination of the clinical findings and histological examination of the surgical specimen.

Kyste épidermoïde de l'iléon chez un chien Dachsund miniature. Un chien Dachsund miniature mâle castré âgé de 13 ans a été présenté avec des vomissements et de la diarrhée chroniques. Une radiographie à contraste et une exploration chirurgicale ont révélé un kyste iléal, qui a été excisé. Un diagnostic de kyste épidermoïde a été posé à partir d'une combinaison de constatations cliniques et de l'examen histologique du spécimen chirurgical.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Serum glial fibrillary acidic protein as a diagnostic biomarker in dogs with progressive myelomalacia.

In humans, increased levels of GFAP in the CSF and blood have been reported with various neural diseases. However, there has been no study describing the usefulness of GFAP in the blood for disease of the spinal cord in dogs. The aim of this study was to describe the utility of GFAP in serum for a diagnosis of progressive myelomalacia. Fifty-six dogs with acute thoracolumbar IVDD diagnosed by computed tomography with myelography or MRI were included. Serum specimens were collected at initial presentation from all cases and at follow-up examinations from some cases. Serum samples were assayed for GFAP concentrations using a commercially available GFAP ELISA Kit. Progressive myelomalacia was the final diagnosis in 8/51 cases (15.6%). Eight dogs had clinical signs suggestive of progressive myelomalacia, of which 6 were positive and 2 were negative by GFAP. Seven dogs had a detectable level of serum GFAP, of which 6 had the onset of progressive myelomalacia. The sensitivity and specificity of the GFAP to progressive myelomalacia were 75% and 97.7%, respectively. The results suggest the utility of GFAP in serum in the diagnosis of progressive myelomalacia.

Spontaneous regression of a cervical intraspinal cyst in a dog.

We report a cervical intraspinal cyst in a dog that was initially tetraparetic but spontaneously recovered completely. MRI revealed a well-demarcated intraspinal cyst located dorsally to a degenerated intervertebral disc. The location of the cyst and its signal features on MRI resembled those of discal cysts previously reported in humans. It has been reported in dogs that clinical signs of a intraspinal cyst are similar to those of intervertebral disc herniation and both conditions require surgical intervention. Unexpectedly, our case showed rapid spontaneous recovery and the follow-up MRI revealed complete resolution of the intraspinal cyst and spinal cord compression. Spontaneous recovery of degenerative intraspinal cyst may occur in dogs, similar to rare human cases as reported previously.

The antiproliferative effect of bovine lactoferrin on canine mammary gland tumor cells.

Lactoferrin has several biological activities, including antitumor activities in some human and animal tumor cells. Clinical trials have been carried out in human medicine based on these effects. However, the antitumor effects of lactoferrin in veterinary medicine remain unknown. In this in vitro study, we demonstrated that co-incubation of canine mammary gland tumor cells (CIPp and CHMp) and bovine lactoferrin induced growth arrest of tumor cells. This growth arrest was associated with induction of G1 arrest. Furthermore, this effect was stronger in tumor cells than in normal cells. These findings demonstrate that bovine lactoferrin has anti-tumor activity in canine mammary tumors and has the potential for use in tumor-bearing dogs.

Adenosine deaminase activity in cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Adenosine deaminase (ADA), an enzyme involved in purine metabolism, has been shown to be of clinical importance in several diseases in humans. To investigate whether ADA is of any clinical significance in cats, plasma adenosine deaminase (P-ADA) and T cell adenosine deaminase (T-ADA) activities were measured in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) negative and positive cats. The AIDS-related complex (ARC) group showed a significant elevation in P-ADA activity compared to the asymptomatic carrier (AC), and FIV-negative groups (P<0.005). T-ADA activity was significantly elevated in FIV-positive cats compared to the FIV-negative group (P<0.05) and this elevation was attributed to the increase in the ARC group (P<0.01). A correlation was found between P-ADA and T-ADA activities in the FIV-negative group. T-ADA activity and CD4(+)cell number showed a strong negative correlation in FIV-positive cats (P<0.0005). CD4(+) cell numbers were significantly reduced in the ARC group compared to the healthy controls (P<0.005). Our results showed that T-ADA is increased in FIV-positive cats during the ARC stage. These results also suggest that ADA may be an indicator of T cell activation in the ARC stage of FIV infection.

Canine serum thermostable alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme from a dog with hepatocellular carcinoma.

A dog histopathologically diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) showed very high serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. A supernatant of ascitic fluid and tumor tissue extracted from the dog also showed much higher ALP activity than normal. ALP isoenzyme analysis of samples was performed using polyacrylamide gel disk electrophoresis, and a wide, broad abnormal band was observed. By various treatments, the abnormal band showed thermostability, which is a characteristic of tumor-associated ALP that has only been reported in humans. The thermostable ALP isoenzyme was not found in sera from 39 dogs with several types of tumor that originated from the liver, except for HCC, nor was it found in 10 dogs with hepatic diseases that did not include hepatic tumors. The thermostable ALP isoenzyme seemed to be associated with canine HCC.

Effects of long-term oral administration of ketoprofen in clinically healthy beagle dogs.

To investigate the adverse effects of long-term administration of ketoprofen in dogs, ketoprofen (1 mg/kg) was administered to five clinically healthy beagle dogs (ketoprofen group) and gelatin capsules (control group) were administered to four clinically healthy beagle dogs for 30 days. We monitored the dogs through periodic physical examination, blood analyses, endoscopic examinations, fecal occult blood tests, renal function tests, urinalysis, urinary enzyme indices and cuticle bleeding time analysis. The lesions in the stomach, especially in the pyloric antrum, and fecal occult blood progressively worsened in the ketoprofen group. However, the differences between the ketoprofen group and the control group were not statistically significant. One dog in the ketoprofen group temporarily exhibited a decrease in renal plasma flow and two dogs exhibited enzymuria. However, these changes did not persist and the other examinations showed no significant difference between premedication and postmedication in the ketoprofen group. Therefore, the adverse effects of long-term administration of ketoprofen observed in this study were not clinically important in healthy dogs. Nevertheless, further investigation of adverse renal effects from long-term administration of ketoprofen is necessary in the dogs with subclinical renal disease.

Reduction of concanavalin A-induced expression of interferon-gamma by bovine lactoferrin in feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Lactoferrin (LF), a glycoprotein present in milk, mucosal secretions and neutrophils, contributes to host defense and immunomodulation. In the present study, we investigated the effect of bovine LF (bLF) on cytokine messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated feline peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR showed a ConA-induced increase of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA expression but not of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-12 p40 mRNA in feline PBMC. This ConA-induced increase of IFN-gamma mRNA expression was inhibited by addition of bLF not only 30 min before ConA stimulation but also 10, 20 and 40 min after ConA stimulation. Western blotting showed that protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in feline PBMC were activated within 10 min after the ConA stimulation and that the activation of both kinases had almost disappeared by 40 min after stimulation. Moreover, the ConA-induced IFN-gamma mRNA expression was partly prevented by genistein, a global PTK inhibitor, and PD-98059, an ERK inhibitor, respectively. These results suggest that bLF is able to inhibit the ConA-induced IFN-gamma mRNA expression by abrogation of intracellular signaling activated after interaction between ConA and its receptor.

The plasma superoxide scavenging activity in canine cancer and hepatic disease.

To clarify the relationship between plasma antioxidant activity and diseases in dogs, plasma samples were collected from 6 healthy dogs and 16 diseased dogs (6 dogs with cancer, 5 dogs with hepatic disease, and 5 dogs with inflammation ), and measured superoxide anion scavenging activities. Antioxidant activities of canine plasma were evaluated by measuring their superoxide anion (O(2)(-.)) scavenging activities with electron spin response spectroscopy combined with spin trapping reagent, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO). Total O(2)(-.) scavenging activities in the presence of plasma of diseased dogs tended to be higher than those in healthy controls, especially significant higher activities in the presence of canine plasma of hepatic disease and inflammation were observed. In diseased dogs, KCN-insensitive activities, suggesting the activity of manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. Therefore, it seems that there is a possibility of utilizing of plasma O(2)(-.) scavenging activity as one of clinical indicators for oxidative-related diseases such as cancer, hepatic disease and inflammation in dogs.