Utsugi Shinichi, Azuma Kazuo, Osaki Tomohiro, Murahata Yusuke, Tsuka Takeshi, Ito Norihiko, Imagawa Tomohiro, Okamoto Yoshiharu
Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan; Department of Neurology, Japan Animal Referral Medical Center, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0032, Japan.
Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, Tottori 680-8553, Japan.
Biomed Rep. 2017 Feb;6(2):195-200. doi: 10.3892/br.2016.825. Epub 2016 Dec 6.
Canine brain tumors are best diagnosed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, opportunities of MRI examination are restricted due to its limited availability in veterinary facilities; thus, numerous canine brain tumors are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Therefore, development of a noninvasive diagnostic biomarker is required for the early detection of brain tumors. In the present study, plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profiles between dogs with and without brain tumors were compared. A total of 12 dogs with brain tumors, diagnosed based on clinical signs, and on the results of intracranial MRI and/or pathological examination were evaluated. In addition, eight dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy and 16 healthy dogs were also included. A liquid chromatography system with automated pre-column derivatization functionality was used to measure the levels of 20 amino acids. As a result, the levels of three amino acids (alanine, proline and isoleucine) were increased significantly (1.6-, 1.5- and 1.6-fold, respectively) in the plasma of dogs with brain tumors as compared with the levels in control dogs (all P<0.05). Thus, the PFAA levels of dogs with brain tumors differed from those of healthy dogs. The present study demonstrated that analysis of PFAA levels of dogs with brain tumors may serve as a useful biomarker for the early detection of canine brain tumors.
犬脑肿瘤最好通过磁共振成像（MRI）进行诊断。然而，由于兽医设施中MRI检查的可用性有限，其检查机会受到限制；因此，许多犬脑肿瘤在晚期才被诊断出来。因此，需要开发一种非侵入性诊断生物标志物用于脑肿瘤的早期检测。在本研究中，比较了患有和未患有脑肿瘤的犬之间的血浆游离氨基酸（PFAA）谱。总共评估了12只根据临床症状、颅内MRI和/或病理检查结果诊断为患有脑肿瘤的犬。此外，还纳入了8只诊断为特发性癫痫的犬和16只健康犬。使用具有自动柱前衍生功能的液相色谱系统测量20种氨基酸的水平。结果，与对照犬相比，患有脑肿瘤的犬血浆中三种氨基酸（丙氨酸、脯氨酸和异亮氨酸）的水平显著升高（分别为1.6倍、1.5倍和1.6倍，所有P<0.05）。因此，患有脑肿瘤的犬的PFAA水平与健康犬不同。本研究表明，分析患有脑肿瘤的犬的PFAA水平可能作为犬脑肿瘤早期检测的有用生物标志物。
