Abstract
Simple SummaryEstablishing reference ranges for essential and toxic trace elements in dogs is important to assess health status and to enable assessments of the background levels of toxic element exposure. On the other hand, establishing whether trace element concentrations vary in relation to different pathologies is also important. Serum concentrations of trace elements may be effective diagnostic markers and may help in understanding the pathogenesis of different diseases (and the associated causal relationships).This study was designed (i) to establish reference ranges for the essential trace element and background levels of toxic element exposure in the healthy/normal dog population, and (ii) to evaluate whether trace element concentrations vary in dogs suffering from different pathologies. Blood serum samples were collected from 187 healthy and diseased dogs at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela (northwest Spain). The samples were acid digested, and the concentrations of trace elements (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se and Zn) and toxic elements (As, Cd, Hg and Pb) were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). This enabled us to establish reference ranges for the essential trace elements and the level of toxic element exposure in dogs, and to identify several clinical situations associated with variations in trace elements in serum. Relative to concentrations in healthy control dogs, statistically significant differences were observed in the concentrations of Cu (significantly higher in hepatic, inflammatory/infectious and oncological categories), Mo (significantly higher in renal category), Se (significantly lower in gastrointestinal category) and Zn (significantly lower in gastrointestinal, inflammatory/infectious and renal categories). Trace element concentrations can be a cause or consequence of disease, and the study findings indicate that trace element determination in serum provides useful information on the pathogenesis of certain diseases. Further research on the serum concentrations of trace elements, particularly in relation to other biochemical parameters and diagnostic tools, may provide valuable information for the diagnosis of diseases in dogs and the disease prognosis.
Highlights
Good nutrition is essential for preserving the overall health of organisms
Information on the main essential trace and toxic elements in the serum of a representative cohort-sample of dogs was used to establish reference ranges for the essential trace elements and levels of toxic element exposure
Several clinical situations associated with variations in trace elements in serum were identified
Summary
Good nutrition is essential for preserving the overall health of organisms. Micronutrients, including trace elements, mediate vital biochemical reactions by acting as cofactors for many enzymes, as well as act as centers for stabilizing structures of enzymes and proteins. The essentiality of some elements, such as I and Fe, has been discovered two centuries ago, new and vital roles of trace elements in the pathogenesis of regenerative processes, the responses to oxidative stress in the body tissues, and sustaining immunity against pathogens are still been discovered [1,2]. Cu [3,4,5,6,7] and other trace elements [8] are known to play a role in chronic hepatitis in dogs, and elevated concentrations of Fe and Cu (capable of inducing oxidative damage) have been detected in the brain tissues of Alzheimer’s patients and in the brains of humans and animals affected by other neurological disorders [9,10]. A recent study in dogs has suggested the role of Mn, Se and Zn in the pathophysiology and/or treatment of epilepsy, and that anti-convulsant therapy may affect Cu and
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