Blood α-Tocopherol, Selenium, and Glutathione Peroxidase Changes and Adipose Tissue Fatty Acid Changes in Kittens with Experimental Steatitis (Yellow Fat Disease): A Comparative Study Between the Domestic Shorthaired and Siamese Breed

Abstract

Twenty domestic shorthaired (DSH) and 20 Siamese (S) kittens were allocated into 4 breed-specific groups, of 10 kittens each, that were fed exclusively cooked sardines (F groups) or commercial feline canned food based on oily fish (C groups) for a 4-month period. Clinical signs were scored every 15 d along with body weight recording and blood sampling for the measurement of alpha-tocopherol and selenium (Se) concentrations and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity. Subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were obtained per month to determine its fatty acid composition. Steatitis, reproduced in all 20 F-group kittens, was accompanied by systemic signs in 5 DSH and 6 S animals. The severity of the disease reached its zenith at the second week in the DSH-F-group kittens and the fourth and sixth week in the S-F-group kittens. alpha-Tocopherol plasma level was significantly lower in F groups compared to their corresponding controls, whereas the opposite was true for Se and red blood cell GSH-Px activity. In conclusion, the results of this study have shown that although the morbidity rate is not different between the two breeds, the delay of Siamese cats to develop symptomatic steatitis is presumably attributed to an inherent resistance as a result of the long-standing evolution of more efficient antioxidant mechanisms. Also, the changes in fatty acid composition of the adipose tissue lipids are associated with the progression of the age, breed, and diet and probably with the inflammatory changes of the adipose tissue.

Chemical characteristics and limnology of Loskop Dam on the Olifants River (South Africa), in light of recent fish and crocodile mortalities

“…The aetiology of pansteatitis in fish and crocodiles from Loskop Dam is as yet unknown, although it is recurrently described elsewhere as being related to a diet high in polyunsaturated fats and deficient in antioxidants, in captive-bred animals (Roberts et al, 1979;Larsen, 1983;Fytianou et al, 2006;Goodwin, 2006;Roberts and Agius, 2008). The diet of Oreochromis mossambicus in Loskop Dam was investigated during the present study, but these results will be reported separately.…”

“…An important piece in the pansteatitis puzzle is the increased frequency and extent of algal blooms, particularly in the transitional zone. From a fish health perspective, this represents a modified food web which may have important links to the development of pansteatitis in O. mossambicus, particularly as the disease is so often attributed to dietary causes (Fytianou et al, 2006). Generally O. mossambicus feed on a combination of detritus, phytoplankton, filamentous algae, diatoms and plant material (De Moor et al, 1985), but there are ontogenetic and site-specific differences which have not been researched in Loskop Dam.…”

Pansteatitis associated with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in a wild loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta

“…Fytianou et al (2006) provided experimental evidence linking the disease to the consumption of high levels of unsaturated fatty acids or oxidized fats that deplete the vitamin E.…”

Chlorinated, brominated, and fluorinated organic pollutants in Nile crocodile eggs from the Kruger National Park, South Africa

“…The deaths of the crocodiles from Olifants Gorge and Sabie River were associated with steatitis, a condition affecting the fat tissue of the crocodile, causing the tissue to harden, becoming inflamed and yellow (Scott et al, 1995;Fytianou et al, 2006). Most of the crocodiles died with large but steatitic fat reserves and empty stomachs.…”