Neonatal Proteinuria in Calves—A Quantitative Approach

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A newborn’s survival depends on the quick adaptation of the organism to new environmental conditions. Newborn calves show high somatic maturity compared to, for example, human newborns, but their body functions with a lower efficiency than that of adult cattle. Adaptation processes concern all organs, including the kidneys, which are not morphologically mature after birth. The ongoing morphological changes imply functional alterations in the kidneys. There is an increase in blood flow through the kidneys and the glomerular filtration rate, as well as an increase in the efficiency of resorption processes of primary urine components into the blood, including proteins. Protein is present in trace amounts in the urine of healthy adults of various species. It can occur in larger amounts in the urine of sick animals, as well as in certain physiological states, e.g., in newborns. The presence of protein in the urine of newborns in the quantity exceeding 300 mg/24 h/m(2) is called neonatal proteinuria. The causes of proteinuria in healthy newborns have not been clearly elucidated. Many studies have focused on proteinuria in newborns and sick children and sick animals, especially dogs and cats. The present study was the first to quantify the hypothesis of the occurrence of proteinuria in healthy calves in the first week of life and to assess its intensity and dynamics, based on the analysis of changes in total protein excretion in the urine and its fractions differing in molecular weight (albumin, low molecular weight proteins (LMW) and high molecular weight proteins (HMW)). It should be noted that the analysis of excreted protein fractions is a sensitive diagnostic indicator of the type of kidney disease, e.g., increased HMW protein excretion may indicate damage to the renal glomeruli, and loss of LMW proteins may indicate renal tubular disease. ABSTRACT: Urine testing is a convenient, non-invasive method of obtaining information about body functions. Depending on the intended purpose, urine testing may be qualitative and/or quantitative. Urine analysis can also include proteins. There are no data in the literature on the occurrence of proteinuria in healthy neonatal calves. The present study was the first that aimed to quantify the hypothesis of proteinuria occurrence in these animals in the first week of life, to assess its intensity and dynamics and to understand the underlying causes of proteinuria in healthy calves. The research was carried out on 15 healthy calves in the first seven days of life. Calves were catheterized to determine minute diuresis. Total protein concentration was determined in blood plasma and urine. Urine proteins were separated by electrophoresis (SDSPAGE) and their concentration and percentage were determined by densitometry using an image archiving and analysis software. The separated proteins were divided into three groups according to molecular weight for albumin, LMW and HMW proteins. The results were standardized per 1 m(2) of body surface area and statistically analyzed. Neonatal proteinuria was demonstrated in healthy calves, mainly resulting from the high concentration of LMW proteins in the urine. Their percentages decreased significantly from 84.46% on the first day of calves’ life to 64.02% on day 7. At the same time, a statistically significant increase was observed in the proportion of albumin and high molecular weight proteins in urine total protein. Albumin percentage increased from 9.54% (on day 1) to almost 20% (on day 7), while the proportion of HMW proteins increased from 6.68% to 18.13%, respectively. The concentration of total protein in the urine of newborn calves amounted to 14.64 g/L and decreased statistically significantly during the first 72 h of postnatal life, stabilizing at the level of 3–4 g/L. The mean value of total protein excretion in the first week of life was 4.81 mg/min/m(2) (i.e., 6.93 g/24 h/m(2)). The analysis of protein concentration in the urine and its excretion, as well as changes in urinary excretion of the tested protein fractions, indicated that neonatal proteinuria in healthy neonatal calves was tubular (i.e., main reason is the reduced absorption of proteins in nephrons). In addition, research showed that there was a rapid improvement in resorptive mechanisms in tubular cells. It should be assumed that the filtration barrier in the kidneys of these animals after birth is morphologically prepared to retain high molecular weight proteins. It seems that the increased permeability of the filtration barrier in the glomeruli does not necessarily indicate the immaturity of the kidneys, but may indicate the kidneys’ adaptation to excess protein removal from the body during feeding with high-protein food (colostrum), with an open intestinal barrier enabling protein absorption from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood.