Evaluation of sialic acids and their correlation with acute-phase proteins (haptoglobin and serum amyloid A) in clinically healthy Iranian camels (Camelus dromedarius)

Abstract

The present study was conducted to define the reference range for sialic acids and to investigate their correlation with acute-phase proteins (haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A) in clinically healthy camels (Camelus dromedarius). Serum Hp, serum amyloid A (SAA), total sialic acid (TSA), lipid-bound sialic acid (LBSA), and protein-bound sialic acid (PBSA) were measured in 103 clinically healthy camels by validated standard methods. Among study variables, Hp has the highest variation in clinically healthy camels (coefficient of variation = 0.15). All variables showed almost normal distributions, and the suggested reference values for TSA, LBSA, and PBSA were 2.3–3.34, 1.18–1.78, and 1.07–1.59, respectively. The corresponding measures for SAA and Hp were 7.78–11.14 and 0.19–0.35, respectively. There was no significant correlation between either TSA or its lipid- and protein-bound components with Hp and SAA. However, strong correlation was observed between TSA and LBSA (r = 0.96, P < 0.001) and between TSA and PBSA (r = 0.95, P < 0.001).