Barić Rafaj Renata, Rubić Ivana, Kuleš Josipa, Prišćan Dominik, Muñoz-Prieto Alberto, Gotić Jelena, Ećimović Luka, Kučer Nada, Samardžija Marko, Kovačić Mislav, Mrljak Vladimir
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Laboratory of Proteomics, Clinic for Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Vet Sci. 2025 Jul 25;12(8):697. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12080697.
Obesity is currently one of the major medical problems affecting humans and companion animals, including cats; however, a detailed understanding of the metabolic processes altered in feline obesity remains limited. This study aimed to investigate obesity-related changes in the serum metabolome of three groups of cats, metabolically healthy normal-weight (MHN) cats, metabolically healthy overweight (MHO) cats, and metabolically unhealthy overweight (MUO) cats. Metabolome changes were assessed using LC-MS (untargeted), LC-MS (targeted), and FIA-MS (targeted) methods. Untargeted analysis detected 141 significant annotated features, while targeted approach identified 48 metabolites significantly associated with obesity. Both untargeted and targeted analyses showed lower kynurenine levels in the MUO group compared to the MHN group. Targeted LC-MS analysis identified 11 significant metabolites, whereas the FIA-MS approach detected 37. Four metabolites-glycine, citrulline, and two phosphatidylcholines-were found at lower levels in the MHO group compared to the MHN group. Arginine and proline metabolism, along with methionine metabolism, were significantly altered pathways, while thyroid hormone synthesis was independently altered with the highest enrichment ratio. The obtained results suggest that cats with a healthy phenotype exhibit an intermediate-metabolic-risk profile and provide new insights into the metabolic mechanisms and pathways underlying feline obesity.
肥胖是目前影响人类和伴侣动物（包括猫）的主要医学问题之一；然而，对猫肥胖中代谢过程改变的详细了解仍然有限。本研究旨在调查三组猫（代谢健康的正常体重 [MHN] 猫、代谢健康的超重 [MHO] 猫和代谢不健康的超重 [MUO] 猫）血清代谢组中与肥胖相关的变化。使用液相色谱 - 质谱联用（非靶向）、液相色谱 - 质谱联用（靶向）和流动注射分析 - 质谱联用（靶向）方法评估代谢组变化。非靶向分析检测到141个显著注释特征，而靶向方法鉴定出48种与肥胖显著相关的代谢物。非靶向和靶向分析均显示，与MHN组相比，MUO组的犬尿氨酸水平较低。靶向液相色谱 - 质谱分析鉴定出11种显著代谢物，而流动注射分析 - 质谱联用方法检测到37种。与MHN组相比，在MHO组中发现四种代谢物（甘氨酸、瓜氨酸和两种磷脂酰胆碱）水平较低。精氨酸和脯氨酸代谢以及蛋氨酸代谢是显著改变的途径，而甲状腺激素合成以最高富集率独立改变。所得结果表明，具有健康表型的猫表现出中等代谢风险特征，并为猫肥胖的代谢机制和途径提供了新的见解。
