Abstract
Simple SummaryDetermining trace element concentrations in serum can provide useful information about some diseases. Furthermore, a single blood sample can nowadays be used to determine trace element profiles by multielement techniques such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Along with other routinely determined biochemical parameters, trace element profiles provide information about the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognosis of diseases, and enable evaluation of the suitability of trace element supplementation as an adjunct therapy. In this study, we evaluated the suitability of using trace element profiles, together with other routinely determined biochemical parameters, in dogs suffering different diseases, as diagnostic markers in routine clinical practice.The objective of this study was to obtain information about the role of trace element imbalance in the pathogenesis of certain diseases in dogs and to evaluate the suitability of trace element profiling as an additional tool in the diagnosis. Serum trace element concentrations (copper, molybdenum, selenium and zinc) were measured in a cohort of healthy (control) dogs (n = 42) and dogs affected by hepatic (n = 25), gastrointestinal (n = 24), inflammatory/infection (n = 24), and renal (n = 22) diseases. These data were analyzed together with data on basic biochemical parameters (alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, globulin, and glucose) by using chemometric techniques. The chemometric analysis revealed distinctive association patterns between trace elements and biochemical parameters for each clinical disorders. The findings provide clear evidence for the important role of trace elements in disease, particularly in relation to acute phase reactions, with serum copper providing an indirect measurement of ceruloplasmin (positive acute-phase protein) and serum selenium and zinc acting as negative acute phase reactants. Molybdenum may also be a suitable marker of incipient renal disease. Thus, the analysis of trace element profiles, by multielement techniques, in a single serum sample would be a valuable additional tool for the diagnosis of certain diseases.
Highlights
Trace elements are essential micronutrients that play a vital role in many physiological and biochemical processes
Oxidative stress can lead to the development of secondary tissue damage and organ failure, and serum levels of trace elements that contribute to antioxidant defense, selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), are typically low during critical illnesses [14]
The study findings preliminary, relating to a cohort of dogs suffering a wide variety of pathological disorders, clearly indicate those trace elements play an important role during disease, and trace element concentrations in serum could provide valuable information regarding the diagnosis and prognosis of some diseases in dogs
Summary
Trace elements are essential micronutrients that play a vital role in many physiological and biochemical processes. Trace element deficiencies/disorders have been more widely studied in humans than in animals. A growing number of publications have reported trace element deficiencies and imbalances in various clinical disorders and in critical illnesses, including cardiac, hepatic and renal failure, cancers, inflammatory diseases, and infection, among others [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14]. Oxidative stress can lead to the development of secondary tissue damage and organ failure, and serum levels of trace elements that contribute to antioxidant defense, selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn), are typically low during critical illnesses [14]
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