BACKGROUND: Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur-containing amino acid derived from methionine. Several studies have suggested that plasma Hcy may be a useful biomarker of cardiovascular disease in human. There is limited information about serum homocysteine in heart diseases of dogs.OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to assess the concentration of serum total Hcy and evaluate the relationship between its concentrations and serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and activities of creatine phosphokinase and aspartate aminotransferase in small breed of dogs with endocardiosis.METHODS: For this purpose, a total of 15 dogs (seven males and eight females) with acquired endocardiosis were confirmed by clinical examination, auscultation, thoracic radiography, and echocardiography. In addition, 15 normal dogs of the similar age, breed, and weight were selected as the controls. All the examinations performed on the patients were carried out on the healthy dogs. Homocysteine was measured via an enzymatic method. Additionally, the activities of CPK and AST and the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides were assessed utiling commercial kits. Subsequently, the data were analyzed with t- student test and one- way ANOVA and Pearson’s linear correlation test was used to determine the relationship between serum homocysteine levels with triglycerides, cholesterol, CPK, and AST.RESULTS: The results revealed no significant differences concerning serum homocysteine level and AST activity between the two groups; meanwhile, the increase in serum triglycerides and CPK activities in dogs with heart disease was statistically significant compared to that in the control group. However, there was no significant correlation between homocysteine and the other measured parameters.CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicated that the role of homocysteine as a new risk factor associated with dog endocardiosis is questionable and it seems as if in human studies related to homocysteine and heart disease, the selection of dog as animal model requires further investigation.

Objective: The present study was conducted for the purpose of setting forth the normal serum Hcy, vitamin B12 and folate levels in Van cats of varying ages and genders, and the age-dependent variations of these parameters. Materials and methods: The material of the study consisted of a total of 60 healthy Van cats including 30 female and 30 male cats. Cats from both genders were separated into 3 groups on the basis of their ages. While the cats of 6 - 12 months of age were included in the first group, cats of 12-24 months of age were included in the second and those of more than 24 months of age were included in the third group. Results: From the blood samples collected; serum normal homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels were determined as 7.1±2.2 nmol/mL, 850.7±231.8 pg/mL and 16.7±0.8 ng/mL, respectively. In the statistical comparison of the determined serum homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels; some variations among different groups of age and genders were determined. However, none of these differences were determined to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The normal levels of serum Hcy, vitamin B12 and folate of healthy Van cats were set forth for the first time by the present study. It is believed that the normal values of these parameters in Van cats can be used in the diagnosis and prognosis of various diseases and particularly cardiovascular diseases, that they will be helpful for researchers and will serve as a guideline to the studies to be conducted in the future. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(1.000): 58-64]

The livestock sector is making great contributions to the world economy. Many different diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney and mineral substance insufficiency, cause huge losses in yield and production in the livestock sector. Early diagnosis is essential to combat these diseases. Today, homocysteine levels are used as biochemical markers in the diagnosis of the functions and diseases of many different organs in human medicine. Homocysteine is an amino acid that occurs in the process of methionine metabolism and does not enter the primary structure of proteins. Homocysteine is a biochemical marker used in the assessment of cardiovascular and renal diseases as well as other organ functions. In this review, homocysteine determination methods and detailed information about which organ and system diseases can be used in livestock sector will be given. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2017; 4(4.000): 319-332]

OBJECTIVE To measure serum homocysteine concentrations in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and identify any association between this variable and stage of MMVD. ANIMALS 53 client-owned dogs with MMVD and 10 healthy control Beagles. PROCEDURES Dogs with MMVD were allocated to 3 groups in accordance with the staging system for chronic valvular heart disease in dogs and cats of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Blood samples were collected from all dogs, and serum homocysteine and cardiac troponin 1 concentrations were measured by enzyme immunoassay and chemiluminescence immunoassay, respectively. Analyte values were tested for associations with each other and with stage of MMVD. RESULTS A significant correlation was identified between serum homocysteine concentration and stage of MMVD. Mean ± SD concentrations were 6.72 ± 1.65 μmol/L for control dogs, 13.37 ± 4.16 μmol/L for dogs with stage B MMVD, 18.86 ± 6.73 μmol/L for dogs with stage C disease, and 28.26 ± 4.48 μmol/L for dogs with stage D disease. In addition, serum homocysteine concentration was correlated with serum cardiac troponin 1 (r = 0.34) and creatinine (r = 0.46) concentrations, systolic blood pressure (r = 0.57), and left atrium-to-aortic root ratio (r = 0.28), all of which were positively correlated with stage of MMVD. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Serum homocysteine concentrations of dogs with MMVD were significantly higher than those of control dogs, and significant correlations were identified between these values and several risk factors for heart failure. Measurement of serum homocysteine concentration may be useful in the prediction of severity of disease in dogs with MMVD.

Objective: To determine reference ranges for serum cobalamin (Cbl), urine methylmalonic acid (uMMA), and plasma total homocysteine (tHcys) concentrations and to compare values for healthy control dogs with values for Border Collies (BCs), a breed in which hereditary cobalamin deficiency has been identified. Animals: 113 BCs, 35 healthy control dogs fed a typical diet, and 12 healthy dogs fed a bone and raw food diet exclusively. Procedures: Urine and blood samples were obtained from each dog and Cbl, uMMA, and tHcys concentrations were determined. Results: Reference ranges for Cbl (261 to 1,001 ng/L), uMMA (0 to 4.2 mmol/mol of creatinine), and tHcys (4.3 to 18.4 μmol/L) concentrations were determined. Four BCs had a Cbl concentration lower than the assay detection limit (150 ng/L); median uMMA and tHcys concentrations in these dogs were 4,064 mmol/mol of creatinine and 51.5 μmol/L, respectively. Clinical abnormalities included stunted growth, lethargy, anemia, and proteinuria. Abnormalities improved after administration of cobalamin. Of the 109 healthy BCs with Cbl and tHcys concentrations within reference ranges, 41 (37.6%) had a high uMMA concentration (range, 5 to 360 mmol/mol). Results for dogs fed raw food were similar to those for control dogs. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Hereditary cobalamin deficiency is a rare disease with various clinical signs. The finding of methylmalonic aciduria in healthy eucobalaminemic BCs and BCs with clinical signs of Cbl deficiency was surprising and indicated these dogs may have defects in intracellular processing of Cbl or intestinal Cbl malabsorption, respectively. Studies investigating Cbl absorption and metabolic pathways are warranted.

It has been indicated that bamboo leaf extract (BLE) displays physiological activities in mammals. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of different doses of dietary supplementation of BLE on behavior, inflammation and antioxidant activity of bill trimmed (BT) mule ducks. One hundred- and twenty-one-day-old mule ducklings were randomly divided on 24 floor pens (5 birds per pen), each pen was assigned at random to one of four dietary treatments that each contained the following: a BLE at 0 (Control), 0 (BT-control), 1.0 (BT-BLE1), and 2.0 (BT-BLE2). At 21 d, all birds were exposed to bill trimming except control group. There was a significant rise in TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-6, MDA and homocysteine levels while there was a significant drop in the level of TAC in BT- control group as opposed to the control. Both doses of bamboo leaf extracts significantly decreased TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-6, MDA and homocysteine while significantly enhanced TAC activities in comparison with BT- control group, moreover, BT-BLE2 was more efficient in repairing all blood parameters measured than that of BT-BLE1 group. However, there were no significant differences in the gait score, tonic immobility and stride length tests between all groups. These results suggest that the BLE could inhibit the negative effects of bill trimming on mule ducks health through improvement of immunity and antioxidant status, regulation of inflammatory reactions with a reduction in homocysteine level.