Circulating hyaluronan as a marker of endothelial glycocalyx damage in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease and dogs in a hypercoagulable state

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) 2022-07, Vol.285, p.105845-105845, Article 105845
• Main Authors: Lawrence-Mills, Sara J., Hezzell, Melanie J., Adamantos, Sophie E., Chan, Iris, Borgeat, Kieran, Rose Payne, Jessie, Satchell, Simon, Welsh, Gavin I., Foster, Rebecca R., Finch, Natalie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canine; ELISA; Health monitoring; Short Communication
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2022.105845

The endothelial glycocalyx (eGlx) lines the luminal surface of endothelial cells, maintaining vascular health. Glycocalyx damage is pathophysiologically important in many diseases across species however few studies have investigated its breakdown in naturally occurring disease in dogs. The aims of the study were to investigate eGlx damage in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) diagnosed on echocardiography, and dogs in a hypercoagulable state diagnosed using thromboelastography (TEG), by measuring serum hyaluronan concentrations. Serum hyaluronan was quantified in dogs with MMVD (n = 27), hypercoagulability (n = 21), and in healthy controls dogs (n = 18). Serum hyaluronan concentrations were measured using a commercially-available ELISA validated for use in dogs. Hyaluronan concentrations were compared among groups using Kruskal-Wallis tests, and post-hoc with Dunn’s tests. Serum hyaluronan concentrations (median [range]) were significantly increased in dogs with MMVD (62.4 [22.8–201] ng/mL; P = 0.031) and hypercoagulability (92.40 [16.9–247.6] ng/mL; P