Substance P concentrations in the blood plasma and serum of adult cattle and calves during different painful procedures and conditions – a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Pain in cattle is a major welfare problem, as cattle mask their pain. Subjective and objective parameters to assess pain in cattle have been described. Among the objective parameters to evaluate pain in cattle is substance P (SP). SP is a neurotransmitter, which is involved in the processing of noxious information to the brain; it seems to be a more objective indicator for nociception than cortisol, which has long been used as a biomarker for pain and stress in cattle. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the existing literature about SP during painful procedures, conditions, and diseases in cattle in form of a systematic review. RESULTS: Following the PRISMA statement, 36 out of 236 studies were included in this systematic review. Study design, grouping, age and weight of animals, processing of blood samples for the assessment of SP, and results were heterogenous. The largest number of studies originated from the United States of America and Canada and were published in 2018. A higher number of studies were done on calves (69.4%, n = 25) compared with adult cattle (30.6%, n = 11). Most studies were done to assess SP concentrations after administration of analgesics prior to husbandry procedures in calves. CONCLUSIONS: There is a manageable number of studies assessing SP concentrations during painful procedures, conditions, and diseases in cattle. SP seems to be a suitable biomarker for nociception in cattle, but results of research work are heterogenous, and SP concentrations of calves and adult cattle differ throughout studies. Basic research work is missing and is needed to assess factors others than nociception which might influence the SP concentrations in the blood plasma. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12917-022-03304-6.