Abstract
BackgroundThe use of salivary biomarkers has garnered attention because the composition of saliva reflects the body’s physiological state. Saliva contains a wide range of components, including peptides, nucleic acids, electrolytes, enzymes, and hormones. It has been reported that salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol are biomarkers of stress related biomarker in diseased dogs; however, evaluation of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol pre- and post- operation has not been studied yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in dogs before and after they underwent surgery and investigate the association between the salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity and pain intensity. For this purpose, a total of 35 dogs with disease-related pain undergoing orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries were recruited. Alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in the dogs’ saliva and serum were measured for each using a commercially available canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, and physical examinations (measurement of heart rate and blood pressure) were performed. In addition, the dogs’ pre- and post-operative pain scores determined using the short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF) were evaluated.ResultsAfter surgery, there was a significant decrease in the dogs’ pain scores (0.4-fold for the CMPS-SF, p < 0.001) and serum cortisol levels (0.73-fold, p < 0.01). Based on their pre-operative CMPS-SF scores, the dogs were included in either a high-pain-score group or a low-pain-score group. After the dogs in the high-pain-score group underwent surgical intervention, there was a significant decrease in their CMPS-SF scores and levels of salivary alpha-amylase, serum alpha-amylase, and serum cortisol. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between salivary alpha-amylase levels and CMPS-SF scores in both the high- and low-pain-score groups.ConclusionsThe measurement of salivary alpha amylase can be considered an important non-invasive tool for the evaluation of pain-related stress in dogs.
Highlights
The use of salivary biomarkers has garnered attention because the composition of saliva reflects the body’s physiological state
Salivary alpha-amylase was found to increase with disease related stress in dogs [7, 8], to the best of our knowledge, no attempt has been made yet to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity compared to pain scale score pre- and post operation in dogs
The purpose of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in diseased dogs before and after they underwent surgery; we aimed to investigate the association between alpha-amylase and cortisol activity and pain related stress
Summary
The use of salivary biomarkers has garnered attention because the composition of saliva reflects the body’s physiological state. The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels in dogs before and after they underwent surgery and investigate the association between the salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity and pain intensity For this purpose, a total of 35 dogs with disease-related pain undergoing orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries were recruited. A wide range of molecules present in saliva, including peptides, nucleic acids, electrolytes, enzymes, and hormones, are measurable [3]. Salivary alpha-amylase was found to increase with disease related stress in dogs [7, 8], to the best of our knowledge, no attempt has been made yet to evaluate salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol activity compared to pain scale score pre- and post operation in dogs
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