Abstract
BackgroundFeline hepatic lipidosis (FHL) is a common cholestatic disease affecting cats of any breed, age and sex. Both choline deficiency and low hepatic phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) activity are associated with hepatic lipidosis (HL) in humans, mice and rats. The PEMT expression is known to be upregulated by oestrogens, protecting the females in these species from the development of HL when exposed to choline deficient diets. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of sex hormones on choline synthesis via the PEMT pathway in healthy male and female cats before and after spaying/neutering, when fed a diet with recommended dietary choline content.ResultsFrom six female and six male cats PEMT activity was assayed directly in liver biopsies taken before and after spaying/neutering, and assessed indirectly by analyses of PEMT–specific hepatic phosphatidylcholine (PC) species and plasma choline levels. Hepatic PEMT activity did not differ between intact female and male cats and no changes upon spaying/neutering were observed. Likewise, no significant differences in liver PC content and PEMT-specific polyunsaturated PC species were found between the sexes and before or after spaying/neutering.ConclusionThese results suggest that choline synthesis in cats differs from what is observed in humans, mice and rats. The lack of evident influence of sex hormones on the PEMT pathway makes it unlikely that spaying/neutering predisposes cats for HL by causing PC deficiency as suggested in other species.
Highlights
Feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL) is a common cholestatic disease affecting cats of any breed, age and sex
Phosphatidylcholine is synthetized in the liver by two pathways, the Kennedy or cytidine diphosphate-choline (CDP-choline) pathway and the phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) pathway
Choline deficiency and low hepatic PEMT activity have been associated with HL in humans, mice and rats
Summary
Feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL) is a common cholestatic disease affecting cats of any breed, age and sex. Both choline deficiency and low hepatic phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) activity are associated with hepatic lipidosis (HL) in humans, mice and rats. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of sex hormones on choline synthesis via the PEMT pathway in healthy male and female cats before and after spaying/neutering, when fed a diet with recommended dietary choline content. Feline hepatic lipidosis (FHL) is a common cholestatic disease affecting cats. It is considered the consequence of prolonged anorexia and subsequent dramatic lipolysis [1,2,3]. The Kennedy pathway produces more saturated and mono-unsaturated acyl chain-containing
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