Changes in Faecal and Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Dogs with Food-Responsive Enteropathy as Indicators of Gut Homeostasis Disruption: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Veterinary sciences 2023-02, Vol.10 (2), p.112
• Main Authors: Higueras, Cristina, Escudero, Rosa, Rebolé, Almudena, García-Sancho, Mercedes, Rodríguez-Franco, Fernando, Sainz, Ángel, Rey, Ana I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino acids; Asparagine; canine; chronic enteropathy; Diet; Dogs; faecal amino acids; Fatty acids; Feces; food-responsive enteropathy; Glycine; Histidine; Homeostasis; Humidity; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Intestine; Isoleucine; Leucine; Phenylalanine; Plasma; plasma amino acids; Protein hydrolysates; Proteins; Veterinary medicine
• ISSN: 2306-7381; 2306-7381
• DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10020112

Dogs suffering from food-responsive enteropathy (FRE) respond to an elimination diet based on hydrolysed protein or novel protein; however, studies regarding the amino acid profile in FRE dogs are lacking. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether the plasma and faecal amino acid profiles differed between control and FRE dogs and whether these could serve as indicators of severity of illness. Blood, faecal samples, body condition score, and severity of clinical signs based on the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index were collected before starting the elimination diet. FRE dogs had lower proportions of plasma Asparagine, Histidine, Glycine, Cystine, Leucine, and branched-chain/aromatic amino acids; however, Phenylalanine increased. In faecal samples, Cystine was greater whereas Phenylalanine was lesser in sick dogs compared to control. Leucine correlated negatively with faecal humidity (r = -0.66), and Leucine and Phenylalanine with faecal fat (r = -0.57 and r = -0.62, respectively). Faecal Phenylalanine (r = 0.80), Isoleucine (r = 0.75), and Leucine (r = 0.92) also correlated positively with total short-chain fatty acids, whereas a negative correlation was found with Glycine (r = -0.85) and Cystine (r = -0.61). This study demonstrates the importance of Leucine and Phenylalanine amino acids as indicators of the disease severity in FRE dogs.