Boonyapakorn Chavalit, Meechai Julalak, Sansuktaweesup Panida, Karaket Pitchaporn, Woravuthvitaya Worawan, Chirathanaphirom Suphakan, Chuammitri Phongsakorn, Piamsiri Chanon, Pongkan Wanpitak
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand.
Integrative Research Center for Veterinary Circulatory Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 Jul 1;21(1):413. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04856-z.
Heart failure is the most common lethal consequence of cardiovascular abnormalities in the dog population. In humans, the abundance of mtDNA content plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of different types of cardiovascular diseases such as ischemic heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, and congestive HF. Changes in mtDNA copy number could indicate the extent of mtDNA damage, serving as a potential biomarker for mitochondrial function and a predictor of several cardiovascular disease risks in humans. However, evidence regarding the alterations in mtDNA content in canine heart failure remains poorly explored. This study aims to determine the peripheral blood mitochondrial DNA content in healthy dogs and those experiencing acute heart failure.
A total of thirty client-owned dogs, aged between 5 and 15 years, were selected for the study. The dogs were categorized into two groups: a healthy group (HT, n = 15) and a heart failure group (HF, n = 15). A comprehensive evaluation was performed on all dogs, involving physical examination, thoracic radiography, and transthoracic echocardiographic assessment. Additionally, three milliliters of blood were collected for hematology, blood chemistry profiles, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis. The monocyte levels were found to be significantly higher in the heart failure group (HF) than in the healthy group (HT). Furthermore, parameters such as blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, vertebral heart score (VHS), and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) showed significant elevation in the HF group (p-value < 0.05). Echocardiographic measurements, including left ventricular internal dimension at end-diastole (LVIDd), left atrium (LA), left atrial to aortic root ratio (LA/Ao), end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV), and left ventricular mass, were also notably higher in the HF group compared to the healthy group (p-value < 0.05). Moreover, the mtDNA content was significantly higher in the HF group than in the healthy group (p-value < 0.05).
In the context of decompensated HF, the occurrence of tissue hypoxia might instigate cellular damage, consequently resulting in the release of mtDNA. This phenomenon potentially explains the observed higher mtDNA content in the HF group in comparison to the healthy group.
心力衰竭是犬类心血管异常最常见的致命后果。在人类中，线粒体DNA（mtDNA）含量的丰富在不同类型心血管疾病（如缺血性心脏病、扩张型心肌病和充血性心力衰竭）的发病机制中起着关键作用。mtDNA拷贝数的变化可以表明mtDNA损伤的程度，作为线粒体功能的潜在生物标志物以及人类几种心血管疾病风险的预测指标。然而，关于犬类心力衰竭中mtDNA含量变化的证据仍未得到充分探索。本研究旨在确定健康犬和急性心力衰竭犬的外周血线粒体DNA含量。
总共选择了30只年龄在5至15岁之间的客户拥有的犬进行研究。这些犬被分为两组：健康组（HT，n = 15）和心力衰竭组（HF，n = 15）。对所有犬进行了全面评估，包括体格检查、胸部X线摄影和经胸超声心动图评估。此外，采集了3毫升血液用于血液学、血液生化指标和线粒体DNA（mtDNA）分析。发现心力衰竭组（HF）的单核细胞水平显著高于健康组（HT）。此外，血液尿素氮（BUN）、肌酐、脊椎心脏评分（VHS）和脊椎左心房大小（VLAS）等参数在HF组中显著升高（p值<0.05）。与健康组相比，HF组的超声心动图测量值，包括舒张末期左心室内径（LVIDd）、左心房（LA）、左心房与主动脉根比值（LA/Ao）、舒张末期容积（EDV）、收缩末期容积（ESV）和左心室质量也明显更高（p值<0.05）。此外，HF组的mtDNA含量显著高于健康组（p值<0.05）。
在失代偿性心力衰竭情况下，组织缺氧的发生可能会引发细胞损伤，从而导致mtDNA的释放。这一现象可能解释了与健康组相比，HF组中观察到的较高mtDNA含量。
