Fecal Protein Profile in Eight Dogs Suffering from Acute Uncomplicated Diarrhea before and after Treatment

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Little is known about what happens in the canine gastrointestinal tract during episodes of acute diarrhea in dogs. In the present study, a proteomic approach was used to investigate at the time of inclusion, and at two subsequent time points (2 and 14 days after the onset of the clinical condition), changes in the digestive environment in a subset of dogs suffering from acute uncomplicated diarrhea. Four (groups of) proteins showed significant differences at two or more of the three time points investigated, mainly evidencing a reaction of the organism to the disease. Further studies are needed to confirm the present findings. ABSTRACT: Acute diarrhea is a very frequent condition affecting dogs; nevertheless, little is known about what happens in the GI tract during such conditions. Proteomics allows the study of proteins present in a specific biologic substrate, and fecal proteomic investigations have been recently implemented to study GI diseases in dogs. In the present study, the fecal protein profiles of eight dogs suffering from acute uncomplicated diarrhea at the time of inclusion was investigated for the first time, and then the same patients were followed, replicating two further evaluations at two subsequent time points (after 2 and 14 days from the first presentation), with the aim of gaining possible new insights regarding the pathologic changes in the gastrointestinal environment during such conditions. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed, followed by mass spectrometry. Nine spots, corresponding to four (groups of) proteins (i.e., albumin, alkaline phosphatase, chymotrypsin-C-like, and some immunoglobulins), showed significant differences at two or more of the three time points investigated, almost all behaving similarly and decreasing at T1 (2 days after the onset of the condition) and significantly increasing at T2 (14 days after the onset), mainly evidencing a reaction of the organism. Further studies including a greater number of patients and possibly different techniques are needed to confirm the present findings.