Evaluation of Urinary Big Endothelin-1 in Feline Spontaneous CKD.

Marco Giraldi,Paola Scarpa,Camilla Piazza,Saverio Paltrinieri

doi:10.3390/ani10112144

Abstract

Simple SummaryChronic kidney disease is a common and progressive disease of elderly cats. It is a cause of pet suffering and owner expense. Biologic biomarkers for early diagnosis and for noninvasive evaluation of kidney damage are certainly useful in both research and clinical practice. In this study, we evaluated the biomarker big endotelin-1 in the urine of cats affected with chronic kidney disease. Big endothelin-1 is molecule linked to inflammation and pressure regulation, and it was not previously evaluated in nephropathic cats. We found that urinary big endothelin was increased in patients at late stage of the disease and in patients with proteinuria (a marker of kidney damage). Despite that, big endothelin 1 seemed not to be a useful biomarker for disease progression. According to results of this preliminary study, we suggest this biomarker for future research on feline kidney disease.The endothelin-1 (ET-1) system has been implicated in the development and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). No information on big ET-1 in feline urine is available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if urinary big endothelin-1 (bigET-1) is associated with feline CKD. Sixty urine samples were prospectively collected from 13 healthy cats at risk of developing CKD and 22 cats with CKD of different International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stages (1–4). Urinary bigET-1 was measured using a commercially available ELISA. BigET-1 normalized to urine creatinine (bigET-1:UC) was compared amongst stages and substages, as proposed by IRIS, and correlated with serum creatinine concentration, proteinuria and blood pressure. BigET-1:UC at the time of inclusion was compared between cats that remained stable and cats that progressed after 12 months. BigET-1:UC was significantly higher (p = 0.002) in cats at IRIS stages 3–4 (median: 21.9; range: 1.88–55.6), compared to all other stages, and in proteinuric (n = 8, median: 11.0; range: 0.00–46.4) compared with nonproteinuric cats (n = 38 median: 0.33; range: 0.00–55.6) (p = 0.029). BigET-1:UC was not associated with CKD progression. Urinary bigET-1 increased in advanced stages of CKD and in proteinuric patients, suggesting that ET-1 may be indicative of the severity of feline CKD.

Highlights

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the most common metabolic disease in cats, with a prevalence of up to 50% in cats older than 10 years [1]
BigET-1:urinary creatinine (UC) at the time of inclusion was compared between cats that remained stable and cats that progressed after 12 months
Urinary big endothelin-1 (bigET-1) increased in advanced stages of CKD and in proteinuric patients, suggesting that ET-1 may be indicative of the severity of feline CKD

Summary

Introduction

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the most common metabolic disease in cats, with a prevalence of up to 50% in cats older than 10 years [1]. The underlying aetiology of CKD often remains obscure. The typical histological features of the idiopathic form of feline CKD include interstitial inflammation, fibrosis and renal tubular damage [2]. Other specific causes of CKD include amyloidosis, polycystic kidney disease and congenital disorders [3]. Feline CKD is variably progressive and is associated with proteinuria, hyperphosphatemia, anemia and systemic arterial hypertension [2,4].

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