Abstract
BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to prove the hypothesis that C-reactive protein (CRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) may be potential biomarkers for lower urinary tract disorders and may be able to distinguish between micturition dysfunctions of different origin in dogs with spinal cord diseases. NGF- and CRP- concentrations were measured in serum and urine samples using specific ELISA-Kits. Results in urine were standardized by urine-creatinine levels.ResultsCRP in serum was detectable in 32/76 and in urine samples in 40/76 patients. NGF could be measured in all serum and in 70/76 urine samples. Urinary CRP concentrations were significantly higher in dogs with micturition dysfunction (p = 0.0009) and in dogs with different neurological diseases (p = 0.0020) compared to the control group. However, comparing dogs with spinal cord disorders with and without associated micturition dysfunction no significant difference could be detected for NGF and CRP values in urine or serum samples. Additionally, levels did not decrease significantly, when measured at the time when the dogs regained the ability to urinate properly (urinary NGF p = 0.7962; urinary CRP p = 0.078). Urine samples with bacteria and/or leukocytes had no significant increase in urinary NGF (p = 0.1112) or CRP (p = 0.0534) concentrations, but higher CRP-levels in urine from dogs with cystitis were found compared to dogs without signs of cystitis.ConclusionsFrom these data we conclude that neither CRP nor NGF in urine or serum can be considered as reliable biomarkers for micturition disorders in dogs with spinal cord disorders in a clinical setting, but their production might be part of the pathogenesis of such disorders. Significantly higher levels of CRP could be found in the urine of dogs with micturition dysfunctions compared to control dogs. This phenomenon could potentially be explained by unspecific extrahepatic CRP production by smooth muscle cells in the dilated bladder.
Highlights
The purpose of this study was to prove the hypothesis that C-reactive protein (CRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) may be potential biomarkers for lower urinary tract disorders and may be able to distinguish between micturition dysfunctions of different origin in dogs with spinal cord diseases
The highest levels were found in dogs with spinal cord disorders and micturition problems. 80 % of the dogs in the control group, 64 % with different neurological disorders, 41 % with spinal cord disorders with
In 9/14 of the patients within the group of different neurological disorders urinary CRP was measurable with a mean concentration of 2.21 ng/ml and after normalizing to creatinine the mean ratio accounted for 0.04 CRP/Crea (Table 3)
Summary
The purpose of this study was to prove the hypothesis that C-reactive protein (CRP) and nerve growth factor (NGF) may be potential biomarkers for lower urinary tract disorders and may be able to distinguish between micturition dysfunctions of different origin in dogs with spinal cord diseases. Complications with the voluntary control of micturition are commonly observed in disorders of the nervous system [1] and can worsen the prognosis in intervertebral disc diseases [2], a common neurological disorder in dogs [3]. Intervertebral disc disease cranial to the lumbosacral level can affect the voluntary voiding process [4] and might result in a detrusor-urethral dyssynergia. Two of the urinary biomarkers identified in human medicine so far are the nerve growth factor (NGF) and the C-reactive protein (CRP) [16]
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