Specific urinary metabolites in canine mammary gland tumors

Abstract

The identification of biomarkers that distinguish diseased from healthy individuals is of great interest in human and veterinary fields. In this research area, a metabolomic approach and its related statistical analyses can be useful for biomarker determination and allow noninvasive discrimination of healthy volunteers from breast cancer patients. In this study, we focused on the most common canine neoplasm, mammary gland tumor, and herein, we describe a simple method using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography to determine the levels of tyrosine and its metabolites (epinephrine, 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, and vanillylmandelic acid), tryptophan and its metabolites (5-hydroxyindolacetic acid, indoxyl sulfate, serotonin, and kynurenic acid) in canine mammary cancer urine samples. Our results indicated significantly increased concentrations of three tryptophan metabolites, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (p < 0.001), serotonin, indoxyl sulfate (p < 0.01), and kynurenic acid (p < 0.05), and 2 tyrosine metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (p < 0.001), and epinephrine (p < 0.05) in urine samples from the mammary gland tumor group compared to concentrations in urine samples from the healthy group. The results indicate that select urinary tyrosine and tryptophan metabolites may be useful as non-invasive diagnostic markers as well as in developing a therapeutic strategy for canine mammary gland tumors.

Breast Cancer: Targeting of Steroid Hormones in Cancerogenesis and Diagnostics

“…Metabolomics, the latest member of the "omics" family, focuses on the identification and quantification of metabolites, such as amino acids, carbohydrates and steroids that are found in biological systems. The analysis of the metabolome provides comprehensive information on potential biomarkers from biological samples, such as blood, tissue, saliva and urine, with relatively easy sample preparation and high-throughput [32].…”

Cancer evaluation in dogs using cerumen as a source for volatile biomarker prospection

“…42 So far, urinary-based metabolites have been explored to identify bladder cancer 43 and canine mammary gland tumors. 44,45 Other studies examined plasma chemical profiles to detect canine lymphoma, 46 oral melanoma, 47 and 23 types of neoplasm. 48 In this study, the cerumen analysis of dogs led to the annotation of 128 VOMs, covering a broad spectrum of chemical diversity from polar to non-polar metabolites.…”

The Novel Diagnostic Techniques and Biomarkers of Canine Mammary Tumors

“…The urea, choline, methyl guanidine, citrate, acetone and β-hydroxybutyrate were identified as highly sensitive biomarker candidates [ 124 ]. In a very recent study, higher concentration of three tryptophan metabolites, 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid, serotonin, indoxyl sulphate, and kynurenic acid, two tyrosine metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine and epinephrine were detected in samples of the urine in CMTs patients [ 125 ]. Thus, metabolites of tyrosine and tryptophan are suggested as useful biomarkers in CMTs [ 125 ].…”