Improvement Effect of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid on Hyperlipidemia in Miniature Schnauzer Dogs: An Open Study in 5 Cases of One Pedigree

Abstract

This is the first study to examine the long-term effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid mainly on serum lipoproteins in dogs with hyperlipidemia. We studied 5 Miniature Schnauzer cases whose fasting serum total triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein of triglyceride levels were extremely high (635 ± 116 and 520 ± 92 mg/dL, respectively). Although the total cholesterol values were normal, the very-low-density lipoprotein of cholesterol level was high (49 ± 7 mg/dL). Each dog received a 5-aminolevulinic acid supplement (5 mg/day) orally for 6 months. The mean values of total triglyceride, verylow-density lipoprotein of both triglyceride and cholesterol decreased significantly after the treatment period (319 ± 29, 245 ± 18, and 27 ± 2 mg/dL, respectively, P < 0.05). Our present results may present evidence that 5-ALA administration contributes to improvement of hyperlipidemia in Miniature Schnauzer.

Possible Antiviral Activity of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in Feline Infectious Peritonitis Virus (Feline Coronavirus) Infection

“…After Nishikawa et al established a mass production method of 5-ALA using bacteria ( 19 ), the effectiveness of 5-ALA was confirmed in not only agriculture, but also in medical and biological fields. 5-ALA is inexpensive, and it is practically used as a supplement to improve animal performance and immune response in the field of veterinary medicine ( 14 , 20 ).…”

Oral 5-aminolevulinic acid combined with sodium ferrous citrate prevents blood–aqueous barrier breakdown after anterior chamber paracentesis in healthy beagle dogs

“…It has been reported that 5-ALA is more efficiently utilized by the body when administered in combination with sodium ferrous citrate (5-ALA/SFC) [ 22 ]. 5-ALA has several bioactive effects, including antiviral [ 20 ] and immunomodulatory effects [ 7 ], and its usefulness has also been reported in veterinary practice, such as the application of PpIX in the diagnosis of malignant tumors [ 21 ] and efficacy in treating lipid metabolism disorders in dogs [ 27 ].…”